


There's Not Much To Go Home To But There's Always You

by Musikenza



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Supergirl (TV 2015), Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Hogwarts AU, an excuse to put a bunch of my fave gays together, the fic no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 00:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10582668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musikenza/pseuds/Musikenza
Summary: Honestly, no one else probably wanted this but I wrote it anyway because I wanted it. Some gays trying to get through seven years at Hogwarts without dying. But then again, that's everyone at Hogwarts.





	1. Just The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! And welcome to the fic no one asked for. I had a great time writing this so I hope you have a great time reading this. If you're here for Carmilla, great! If you're here for Supergirl, great! If you're here for Wynonna Earp, great! But just know that you'll be getting a mix of all three together. If you're not here for any of these fandoms, you're in the wrong place. Feel free to stick around anyway.
> 
> Quick note: This might become a series with a separate fic for each of the 7 years because otherwise, this would be one very, very long and intimidating fic. But, we're only on year 1 so I'll deal with that later.
> 
> Author's Note: I one hundred and ten percent believe that Alex Danvers is a Slytherin but unfortunately to make this story work, I had to put her in Gryffindor. It's not so much out of character so it still works.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.

“Please, Kara,” Alex begged, “Everywhere else is full. If you hadn’t made us late, we wouldn’t have this issue.”

“I couldn’t leave Astro at home!” she cried out. Alex shoved a hand over her mouth, “Stop it, Kara. Just sit here.”

“But why can’t I come with you?” she whined and stamped her foot. Alex sighed, “Because I’m going to find Maggie. I’m sure James will come find you.”

Kara continued to pout and Alex almost laughed at the young girl in her robes; her arms were just too short for the sleeves. She’d grow into it. “And besides,” Alex nodded at a figure near the window and lowered her voice, “it looks like she needs a friend.”

Kara’s eyebrows scrunched together, “What if she makes fun of me?”

"Then you can come get me, alright?” Kara nodded. “Do we have a deal?”

Kara stubbornly sat down on one of the seats, “Yes.”

“Good. Now remember I can’t go in with you but I’ll be cheering you on at the Sorting,” Alex tried to cheer her up.

“You know I’m not going to be in Gryffindor with you,” Kara said. They had had the same discussion many times before but Kara never dropped it. “You’ll be amazing wherever you end up.”

Kara had never spent more than a day apart from Alex since the Danvers had adopted her and the idea of not seeing her sister scared her. “I’ll always be around. You can find me if you need me.”

Kara looked away from her and Alex sighed again, having no other choice but than to leave the compartment to find Maggie. She hoped on the way she would find James and direct him toward her little sister. As she was leaving the compartment, a very tall boy, wearing a Prefect badge was smiling at her, “I had one of those a couple years ago. Don’t worry about it. She’ll do great.”

She knew Kirsch from the Quidditch team and smiled, his words comforted her, “Thanks.”

“No problem! But you probably should find a compartment. The train will be off soon.” He gestured down the walkway and she took his advice.

Inside the compartment, Kara was scooting across the seat to get closer to the window. When she was sitting directly across from the other girl, she decided she did not know what to say. She had never been good at making friends. She always wanted to and she was really friendly but most people just made fun of her or called her annoying. Alex called her annoying sometimes but she never really meant it and she never made fun of anything Kara did.

The stranger had very dark hair and was staring out the window as if she had not heard any of the conversation and was unaware of Kara’s presence.

“Hi.” The girl did not respond.

“Hello.” Still nothing.

Kara waved her hand in front of the girl’s face, “Heeellllooooo!”

It seemed to snap the girl out of a daze and she turned to face Kara, taking her in. “Hello.”

Kara stuck her hand out promptly, “Hi, I’m Kara Danvers.”

The girl was surprised and hesitant by the action. Eventually she shook Kara’s hand, “I’m Lena, uh, Luthor.”

“That’s a nice name,” Kara started rambling on and on about how excited she was to finally be going to Hogwarts because Alex had always bragged about how awesome it was. She kept talking even as the train lurched forward and started moving. She talked as she waved out the window to Eliza who was waving back from the platform and did not notice that Lena had no one to wave to.

At one point, Lena cut in, “Why are you talking to me? Most people don’t want to talk to me.”

Kara cut off her story mid-sentence, forgetting what she was talking about in the first place, “Why?”

“Because I’m a Luthor,” Lena said. Kara stared at her for explanation but she gave none, “What’s a Luthor?”

"You don’t know about my family?” Kara shook her head. “They’ve done some bad things. My brother, too. So, most people think I’m like them.”

“Are you?” Kara asked.

“No. I don’t want to be like them,” Lena responded, “I’m not them. I’m just me.”

Kara nodded, “People don’t want to talk to me either. They say I’m annoying and weird.”

“Are you weird?” Lena asked. Kara shrugged, “I’m just me.”

Lena smiled for the first time since Kara had entered the compartment. The door slid open and a rather serious blonde Ravenclaw prefect pushed a boy forward, “Found a straggler.”

The boy fumbled in with his things but could not reach the overhead shelves. Kara stood up on the seat to help him. “I’m Kara by the way,” she pointed at Lena, “This is Lena Luthor but she’s not like the rest of her family.”

The boy looked at Lena, “Cool. I’m Winn.”

**********

“I can’t believe they put you on first-year duty,” Danny complained, “If you lose any of them, I swear to god.”

“Cool off, D-Bear. I’m a prefect now. I know what I’m doing.” She shook her head in disbelief, “I still can’t comprehend that decision. And don’t call me D-Bear.”

“It’s not like I’m the only one, alright? Betty is helping too and you know her pretty well,” he teased.

“Shut up, Kirsch. One time last year and you haven’t let it go yet.” He put his hands up, “I’ll let it go when she lets it go.”

Danny pulled her wand out and threatened him, “Do you want to be throwing up slugs again?”

Kirsch all but ran from the compartment, “Time for rounds!” 

**********

Walking into the Great Hall as the rest of the student body stared was nerve-wracking. Everything seemed gigantic, dwarfing her as she followed the line of first years to gather in the front. She sought out her sisters: Willa was watching expressionless from the Slytherin table while Wynonna was throwing her a smile and thumbs up from the Gryffindor table. She never expected much from Willa but Wynonna was always there to cheer her on and that gave her a little more courage.

She almost walked into the boy in front of her as they came to a halt. The Great Hall was quiet, everyone watching the hat that sat upon the stool, waiting for it to come to life. When it did, it told of the bravery of Gryffindor, the loyalty of Hufflepuff, the wit of Ravenclaw, and the cunning of Slytherin. She waited, bouncing in her shoes.

Finally names started to be called and each student went up and had the sorting hat placed upon their head. “Danvers, Kara!”

A blond-haired girl stomped up to the stool. “Hufflepuff!”

At the call, the Hufflepuffs cheered and the girl mouthed, “Told you,” to someone seated. There were a few more names until, “Earp, Waverly!”

She felt frozen, all eyes on her. Someone beside her nudged her and she went. “Hufflepuff!”

There were more cheers and the girl named Kara scooted over and patted the seat beside her. She was all-smiles and it was contagious.

“Welcome to Hufflepuff,” said a curly redhead across the table. Waverly’s “hello” was lost amidst the noise of another house cheering their new student.

“Luthor, Lena!” The hall silenced immediately. There were a few gasps. The redhead pursed her lips and the brunette next to her looked concerned. Kara on the other hand had sat up straight, looking hopeful. Waverly remembered hearing the name, Luthor before, especially when Willa had joined Slytherin house. But, she had not paid much attention to what was said about it.

The Sorting Hat was speaking to the terrified girl on the chair but Waverly and the rest of the hall could not hear what it was saying. Out of all who had gone, the Sorting Hat took the longest with her. “Slytherin!”

There was no clapping. Waverly saw Willa smirking but as the girl sat down at the Slytherin table, no one spoke to her. The Sorting Hat continued on and the number of first years dwindled. “Schott, Winn!”

Kara poked her, “He’s my friend. We met on the train.”

When the hat called out, “Ravenclaw!” Kara looked disheartened.

The food appeared shortly after. “I’m Laura,” said the brunette across the table, “You guys are going to love being in Hufflepuff. Our dormitory is right next to the kitchens.”

She said it like it was a secret. “But you’re not allowed to be sneaking around so don’t listen to Laura. Our prefects will let you know all the rules.” 

Laura rolled her eyes. “Perry’s gonna be a prefect next year. She’s started her duties early.”

Waverly tried a little bit of everything but next to her, Kara was scarfing down anything set in front of her and talking while she chewed, “My sister’s in Gryffindor. She’s third year.”

Waverly perked up at that information, “Mine is too! But she’s a fifth year.”

“Is she on the Quidditch team? Alex is a chaser.” Waverly shook her head, “No.”

“Is she a prefect?” Perry questioned.

“No,” Waverly admitted, “My other sister is Head Girl of Slytherin though.”

Laura and Perry exchanged a glance that bugged Waverly but they did not say anything to her. “Well, Laura’s a third year. Maybe she knows, Alex.”

Laura was piling cookies on her plate when Perry interrupted, “I might’ve had classes with her before but I don’t know her,” she turned her attention to Waverly, “Two of my friends are fifth year Gryffindors so I bet they know your sister.”

Waverly felt less and less nervous and she continued to talk with Kara, Laura, and Perry. The tables suddenly cleared causing Kara to groan and pout. The headmaster gave a speech that Waverly was far too tired to listen to but soon, Hufflepuff prefects were calling out for the first years to follow them to the dormitories.

“Do we get to see people from different houses?” Waverly whispered to Kara who shrugged. “I think so. We see other first years in our classes.”

“Oh, okay,” was all Waverly replied.

“You want to see your sister? I miss mine too,” Kara bumped her shoulder causing Waverly to smile. She felt better knowing she was not alone in that feeling. 

**********

No one talked to Lena. She had lagged behind the rest of the first year Slytherins and she could see glances thrown her way and whispers as she walked to the dormitory. The rest of the group oohed and aahed at the underwater common room but Lena waited patiently to be shown the first year girl dormitory. 

She found an empty four-poster as did the other girls but when they all went down to the common room, she drew the curtains around the bed, waiting to fall asleep. Lena was grateful that classes started the next day. Then she would have an excuse to hole up in the library and study by herself.

On the train, Kara had talked about how amazing it would be to be in the same house and at the time Lena had agreed but she knew her and Kara would never be put in the same house. She knew Slytherin was her calling. She knew it wasn’t bad and the Sorting Hat had even told her that she was in the house for a different reason that her brother Lex. Her adopted parents had been in Slytherin as well and all she wanted to do was separate herself as much as possible. But, she carried the Luthor name; she would always be connected. Kara and Winn had been nice but that was over now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	2. A Not So Fresh Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with the response to this because I wasn't sure how it was gonna go. I suppose I should've known that we gays watch all the same shows :)

Her books were knocked out of her hands. There was laughter echoing through the mostly empty corridor as she bent down to pick them up. Lena clutched them close to her chest and the laughter subsided as the sneers appeared. There was a group of older Slytherin students standing before her. She could not even rely on her own house to accept her; their lack of reception to her sorting had made that clear.

A snide boy stepped forward, “You don’t belong here, Luthor. They shouldn’t have let you in.”

She tried to walk away but they stood in her path, “What? Can’t talk?”

She had learned rather quickly living with the Luthors that is was much better to stay silent than try to get out of whatever was coming. That only ever made it worse. Someone else chimed in, “Even Slytherin doesn’t want you around.”

There was a collection of shouts from the group as red hives started appearing on the skin of the two who had spoken. After their initial shock, they glared daggers at Lena. 

“You’ll regret that,” spat the boy who seemed to be the leader. Lena did not correct him but the hives were not of her doing. Not only did she not have her wand out, but so far the first years had only learned Wingardium Leviosa. The boy knew that but he needed someone to blame. Of course she knew of other spells and had the skills to perform them, Lex had made sure of that, but still, she had not done it. 

He stormed off with the group, most likely to go to the infirmary, leaving Lena standing alone in the hallway, shaking a little. She looked around to find the person who had cast the spell but all she caught was a flash of robes as someone turned the corner at the end of the hall.

She tugged her Monday schedule out of one of her books to double check the room she was to report to. She had History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs, which meant she would see Kara. Her earlier class had been Charms and though Winn had been there with the rest of the Ravenclaws, they were split by house on opposite sides of the room. Because of the delay in the corridor, she walked in a little bit late, seating herself in the last open seat in the back row. Professor Binns took no notice of her entrance, already in his routine. Kara turned around at the sound of the newcomer and when she saw it was Lena, she smiled, waving excitedly. 

Monday was a thrilling day for Kara. She had two classes with Winn and two classes with Lena. They were really her only two friends so far. She was not sure if she could count Waverly yet, so maybe three, but the verdict was uncertain. Alex had no classes on Monday but she showed up early to breakfast to eat with Kara on her first day and even to lunch. At lunchtime she brought Maggie with her, another chaser on the Quidditch team. Waverly’s sister, Wynonna, showed up for lunch. Apparently she knew Alex better than Alex knew her but that was not a huge surprise since Alex was on the Quidditch team. 

Alex even walked the two to their classes to make sure they did not get lost. Kara already knew she was going to get lost. It did not take much to get from the Great Hall to the Hufflepuff dormitory but she had somehow ended up in the wrong direction and Alex had to physically turn her in the right direction.

At the end of class, she found Lena in the back; Waverly had followed her. “You wanna walk to class together?”

Lena was startled by the sudden appearance. They had Transfiguration together next so there did not seem to be a reason to deny the request. Kara spent the entire time rambling on about her other classes that day. The other brunette whom Lena had not been introduced to yet added a few things here or there but Lena stayed silent. She did not have much to say and was still wondering who had come to her rescue earlier. 

Kara made Lena take the seat right next to hers, not seeming to notice that Lena was preoccupied. She really wanted to know who had sent the hive-conjuring spell. She thought maybe they could teach her how to defend herself for the next time she was cornered because there would definitely be a next time.

**********

“OLSEN! Just because we told you last year we wanted you as Keeper doesn’t make up for the fact that we still have to have tryouts!” Danny called at the second year who was doing flips around the posts at the end of the field. He immediately stopped and made a straight line to land amidst the team. “You’re freakishly tall for a twelve year old and great on a broom but get your act together.”

James looked bummed out and Kirsch set a hand on his shoulder, “Just take a break. We start in fifteen.”

When James had left to sit in the stands Kirsch threw Danny a look, “Could you give the kid a break? We all know he’s already on the team.”

“Who’s the captain here, Kirsch? Yeah, I want him but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try out anyone else who wants to be Keeper,” Danny retorted. The rest of the team stared on, knowing not to interrupt whenever they started arguing. She caught her two other chasers making a face at each other.

“Danvers. Sawyer. I saw that. Take a lap.” The girls groaned but as soon as they took off, the lap became a game and Danny rolled her eyes, “Can anyone on this team take it seriously for one minute?”

“We won the Cup last year, D-Bear,” she growled at the nickname, “We’re all still excited about it.”

“And that excitement is going to be exactly what does us harm. Everyone warm up, looks like they’re starting to crawl in.” The Gryffindor team was only missing a Keeper and Seeker so the amount of people showing up, was going to be a lot less than usual. Chaser tryouts drew the most crowds, then Beaters, but when it came to Keepers and Seekers, players were intimidated. 

When everyone who was coming had arrived, Danny called out, “Alright, over here, everyone! Who's here for Seeker tryouts?”

There were only about twelve people assembled and every single one of them raised their hand. “Is anyone here to try out for Keeper?”

James was the only one who put a hand in the air. Mel, the other Beater on the team aside from Kirsch, scoffed, “Well, when you recruit a first-year before there’s even an opening, its not surprising.”

“We didn’t tell anyone. It was kept under wraps,” Danny explained. She was not upset by the turn of events because she did really want James but knowing that their information and strategies could get out that easily made her weary. Mel was the one to retort yet again, “This is Hogwarts. The worst place for keeping secrets.”

Danny sighed, “Well then, James, welcome to the team!”

He whooped and ran to give Alex a hug. Alex had been the one Danny sent out to talk to James about playing for the house team. They were the closest in age and she thought it would be less intimidating to a first year.

 

At the end of tryouts Danny had chosen a sixth year girl to be their Seeker. She was not too keen on knowing she would have to train another one in only two years but the girl was just too good to pass up. When the rest of the team went to change, Danny called her over, “Chrissy, wait up. Why did you only tryout this year?”

She shrugged, “First years can’t try out and so I missed my chance. The team got a new seeker that year and I had to wait my turn.”

That was unfortunately the way Quidditch worked. Not that Adams had not been great, but Chrissy was better and the team had missed out on her skills for five years. Danny patted her on the back, “Alright, well head in. You’ll find your uniform in there.”

Danny herself chose not to head to the changing room but left the pitch through the main entrance. She had barely made it up the path when there was a shout behind her. Usually it was Kirsch, trailing behind her and annoying her but not this time. Alex caught up to her quickly, huffing a little bit, “My little sister just started this year. She said that she met a couple Hufflepuffs that were friends of yours and I wanted to check it out.”

“I know a few. Did she have names?” Danny inquired.

“Laura and Perry.” Danny smiled at the names, “Yeah, I only know Perry through Laura but that’s the Laura that is practically Kirsch’s little sister.”

Alex made a wide “oh” with her mouth in understanding, “I didn’t put the two and two together when he said that on the train. Now it makes sense.”

“Laura is great. She’s extremely passionate and can get caught up in stuff. She’s a ball of fire but caring and nice. Perry is very responsible. Overly so, so I’m sure your sister is in great hands.” 

Alex let out a deep breath. “Why are you so worried about it?”

Alex gauged the situation. This was only her second year on the team but Danny had made her out to be a person who calculates every interaction, “Kara is…different. She always has been. I’ve kept an eye on her since we adopted her. It’s kinda my job.”

“Frankly, I didn’t know you had a sister.” Alex nodded, “Well, we are teammates. Quidditch is always the topic of conversation. Anyway, I gotta go.”

As she was running up the path, Danny realized something, “Wait, where’s Sawyer?”

Alex turned her head to reply, “The new Seeker is ‘kinda hot’ according to Maggie. It doesn’t matter if she’s a sixth year,” and then continued running.

Alex and Maggie had both joined the team the previous year and became fast friends right away. At first there had been some tension. Two second years. Both chasers. The competition was inevitable. But something had clicked during their first game and the two had a connection that was visible to everyone. They read each other’s instincts like something Danny had never seen before. Even as the captain and more experienced chaser, Danny sometimes let them control the field. Since then, she had always grouped them together. Seeing Alex run away in haste was weird. 

**********

“I swear, Dolls, if you mention some Quidditch maneuver one more time, I’m going to strangle you.”

“Like you could,” he snapped, “If we want to have any chance of winning the cup this year, I have to be on top of my game.”

“You mean if you want to have any chance of winning,” Wynonna clarified, jumping off the table, “I’m not in Ravneclaw. My loyalties lie elsewhere.”

He grunted in the usual Dolls way, “And I’m sure Holiday is all on board with you.”

“Eh, Doc’s not really a team player. I’m not sure he roots for any team except for the winning one. On another note though, are you seriously going to sit here all afternoon and do this?” Wynonna complained.

“Yes. Yes, I am. You on the other hand should get to class.”

Wynonna let out one loud, “Ha!”

Dolls glared at her over his chart where little x’s were moving to and fro. “Lucky for you, I don’t have any more classes today.”

“Are you serious?” Dolls sighed. Wynonna pouted, “Why are you always so mean?”

“I’m busy, Wynonna.”

“Fine,” she raised her eyebrows and threw her hands up, “I’ll leave you alone, ya big baby.”

 

A cry of “Willa!” sent Wynonna straight to the entrance hall where she saw Waverly looking after their older sister who was strutting away.

“What’s up, Waves?”

“Wynonna!” Waverly shouted, running to give her a hug. She let the hug go on for a little bit but then pushed her sister away, “Yeah, yeah, alright. What was that all about?”

“I saw her in there,” Waverly pointed to the Great Hall, “and I went to sit with her and she got mad.”

Wynonna reached out and ruffled Waverly’s hair, “Don’t take it personally, Waves. You know Willa. And for future reference, don’t try it again. What are you up to right now?”

“I’m trying to find Kara.”

“Making friends. Good job, baby girl.” Waverly shook her head, “She’s kinda my only friend.”

“You’ve always been good with making friends, it’s only the first week.”

“I don’t know. People here are different but Kara’s weird like me.” Wynonna threw her arm around her little sister, “You are definitely weird, kid. I’m on the lookout for Doc but in the meantime, why don’t I help you find your little friend.”

Waverly beamed, “Thanks, Wynonna. You know I met a couple older Hufflepuffs who have friends who are in your year.”

“Oh yeah, who are they?” Wynonna led her up the stairs and down the corridor. “Danny and Kirsch.”

Wynonna snorted, “Ah, the Quidditch junkies.”

“So, you do know them.”

“Let’s just say I know _of_ them. We both stay to our own kind,” Wynonna explained.

“But Dolls plays Quidditch,” Waverly added. Wynonna leaned toward her, “Let me let you in a little secret: Dolls is an entirely different species.”

Waverly giggled. Wynonna had introduced them briefly but it was enough for even the youngest Earp to have an opinion about him. 

“That I can back up.” Out of nowhere, Doc appeared.

“What’s up, doc?”

“Despite the amount of times you say that phrase, you always fail to explain its meaning.” Wynonna pointed at him, “Gotta keep ya guessin.’”

“What are the two lovely Earp sisters doing this afternoon?”

“Waverly is looking for her friend. By the way, Waves, do you have any idea where she would be. This castle is huge.”

“We have potions with Winn –“

“Ooooh,” Wynonna cut in, smirking, “And who is this Winn?”

Waverly pushed her, “Shut up, Wynonna. Kara met him on the train. They might be working on potions homework. Or maybe Herbology, we had that too.”

“That’s great, sis, but that doesn’t narrow down a location,” Wynonna said. Not that she did not enjoy spending time with her sister, but taking a stroll across the entire castle and grounds did not seem amusing. And Doc was here now; she had some plans for that.

“Little miss,” Doc chimed in, “With the information you have supplied us with, the library might be the first place to look. If your friends are not there, the study room on the third floor would be the next place. I’m sure you will eventually run into them in your common room.”

“Winn isn’t in Hufflepuff,” Waverly informed. 

“Well, your other friend will eventually show up.”

“Go, check it out, Waves. Alright? I’ll see you later.” Waverly’s shoulder sagged a little bit but she agreed anyway.

“That little sister of yours has quite a way about her.” Waverly smacked him, “Keep your eyes off her, creep.”

“Oh, no, no, no. I did not mean to insinuate that by my words. I simply meant she has a certain charisma. She is gonna be quite the witch with some training.”

Wynonna watched her sister walk away, “Oh, I have no doubt. But, enough talk about my sister. I believe we had a few things to discuss.”

Doc walked backwards and peeked into the room behind him, “My dear, I did not have words on my mind.”

Wynonna ran forward and jumped into his arms, shutting the door with her foot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	3. Everyone And Their Brother Plays For Gryffindor

She was tucked away in the little nook she found in the library during her first year. Most people walked by her without noticing her presence but she could see everyone else. And hear them.

“You’re ruining the books just by touching them, Luthor.”

“Why did you even bother trying to come here?”

“I can’t believe – Aarrrgghh!” With a flick of her wand, she had sent books tumbling from the shelf onto their heads. The young girl jumped back in surprise and to avoid the falling literature. 

“Are you trying to kill us now?”

“Just like your brother,” one of them spat. She had had enough. Jumping down from the nook and entering the aisle, she made herself known. 

“Ah, if it isn’t a Karnstein. You and the Luthor should be best friends. Two of the same kind.” 

She put her hands on her hips, “Shut it, Lord. If I’m remembering correctly, I believe someone in your family used to be a Death Eater.”

The boy stuttered, looking for words, “Ho-how did y-you-?”

“Should I start harassing you because your great-great-great-great-great grandfather was on the wrong side of the war? Because it would be my pleasure,” she assured him.

“That’s different. The Luthor menace was just sent to Azkaban. My- he- that was a long time ago.”

“And you’re gonna be history too if you don’t lay off. I thought the hives would’ve done the trick but they seemed to have cleared up.”

“That was you?” his eyes widened. 

“Now that you’ve seen my work, would you like to see more of it? That can be arranged,” she threatened. The boy looked to his two friends and they shook their heads. He glared at the first year, “This isn’t over, Luthor.”

The small girl did not respond but Carmilla did it for her, “Would you like me to end it now then?”

The trio scampered out of the library. Carmilla turned to head back to her hiding place. “Why did you help me? He’s right, you know. I am a Luthor.”

Carmilla looked at her. For someone so small, she had a lot of wisdom. She reminded Carmilla of herself. Carmilla shook her head, “We are not our families.”

 

Carmilla soon learned that Lena Luthor and her were not as similar as she had originally thought. In all things familial, it was like looking into a mirror except that Carmilla’s brother had yet to end up in Azkaban. But, Lena had completely accepted her fate to the point where she truly believed in what everyone said of her. Carmilla did her best to thwart her family’s plans for her every step of the way. She was also extremely apathetic toward most things in her life and though Lena seemed to have given up, she cared deeply about each and every remark someone made. It affected her; it added to the weight of what she was carrying. 

But, despite all of that, by helping her, Carmilla had gained a shadow and it usually would have bugged her, but Lena was not an inconvenience. Lena barely spoke to her; she was around for the protection Carmilla offered. If Carmilla ever wanted her to leave, she only said the words and Lena disappeared. She never asked Carmilla for anything and never asked invasive questions. Lena knew exactly what it was like, if more, to be an outcast. It was comforting being in the same space as someone who could relate. Carmilla felt the effects as well.

The library was their safe haven. Carmilla had spent most of her time outside of class, hidden away amongst the books. Lena had confided that that had been her plan as well and Carmilla made room in her nook for the both of them. They did homework. Carmilla read. Lena would just stare out the window. “Carmilla?”

“Hm,” she responded, not looking up from her book.

“There’s this girl. I met her on the train. She wants to be my friend, I think, but I don’t know what I should do,” Lena explained.

Carmilla looked at her over the top of the book. She never had a friend. Unless Elle counted but her mother had put a stop to that friendship almost instantly. “I’m really not the one to answer that question. As you’ve noticed, I’m lacking in that area.”

“Okay,” Lena looked back out the window. That was all it had taken for the girl to drop the subject completely. Just because Carmilla had no friends did not mean this girl had to be subjected to the same fate.

“Why don’t you know what to do about it? If she wants to be your friend and you want to be hers, what’s the problem?” Lena considered her words carefully, “She didn’t know who I was and she didn’t care when she found out.”

Carmilla was stumped, “Doesn’t that make her the best person to be your friend?”

“But you’ve seen how everyone else reacts to the name Luthor. Eventually she will too.” The problem with giving advice to Lena was that Carmilla agreed with her sentiment and could not find a way to refute it. 

“Try it. Don’t get your hopes up, but try it. And if she does end up like everyone else, then she wasn’t worth being your friend in the first place. If she doesn’t go down that road, then you took a risk and it paid off.”

“But she already has a couple other friends. I don’t know if I want to be friends with them.”

“Are they a package deal?” Lena shrugged. “I can’t help you out there. That’s up to you.”

“Okay,” Lena said, again looking out the window and letting the conversation drop. Carmilla thought that might have been the most words they had ever said to each other.

**********

The game was vicious. Theo Straka had built up a team of pure brute force. Gryffindor beat them easily when it came to skill but with their tragic loss the year before, the Slytherin’s were out for blood. Danny had almost been knocked from her broom only to be saved by Kirsch and that was only ten minutes in. There seemed to be more than two bludgers on the field; Maggie was constantly dodging the crazy things. On top of all the physical fouls that the referee seemed to be blind to, the crowds roaring was so loud that they could not hear each other call plays or for the quaffle. 

Maggie had not seen Chrissy since they took off at the whistle and at this point, with the two Slytherin beaters sandwiching her, she wished the new seeker would catch the snitch soon. The quaffle was tucked under her arm and she was high-tailing it to the opposite end of the field but she could not shake her shadows. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a streak of red fall down under her and she simply dropped the quaffle and shot straight upwards. 

The beaters had no idea what had happened but Maggie saw the Gyrffindor section fly to their feet with cheers. She smiled. Danvers had done it again. Kirsch had tried to congratulate her but they both swerved as a bludger was hit right toward them. Finally the whistle blew for a foul and Maggie lined up for the shot. She did not give the keeper anytime to prepare and flew straight at him. It was a game of chicken but the keeper got scared and flew to the right, leaving the middle and left post open. “Another ten points to Gryffindor!”

All of the plays that Danny had them practicing were no good with the lack of direction the Slytherin team was playing with. They were all over the place as if Theo had told them to make a mess of the pitch. He came into the game thinking they were going to lose and made no effort to change that; he simply wanted to cause the most damage. 

They continued to rack up points and James had let only two shots in from the Slytherins. They still needed to catch the snitch before Slytherin to win, but that was not Maggie’s worry. She knew that Danny was searching for it along with Chrissy to give the girl all the help she could get. The multi-tasking left Alex and herself to be in charge of the scoring. They could do it, just the two of them. Mel was riding close beside her, warding off any attacking bludgers with one hit. 

When Chrissy finally caught the snitch, both Maggie and Alex were so focused that neither of them realized what was happening until Danny flew in front of them to bring in the reigns. Alex flew over and high-fived her, both of them flying to the ground. Chrissy was all smiles, holding the snitch above her head as Kirsch tried to lift her up. It did not go well and he ended up falling backward, Chrissy going down with him. She could not hear the words but Danny was yelling at them. Her vision was blocked when Alex came over and gave her a hug. “Good game, Danvers.”

“Back at ya, Sawyer.” 

**********

“Did you see that?” Kara yelled as she performed all of Alex’s moves with her feet firmly on the ground, “When she darted past the Slytherin beater and scored the goal? She’s sooooooo fast.”

Winn was dragging the massive sign Kara had made. It was so big that she could not hold it herself during the game and eventually Lena made her put it down. Kara did not think Lena was going to actually come. At the Halloween feast (after some Ravenclaws blew up pumpkins in the Great Hall that covered everything with orange goo - Winn said he had absolutely nothing to do with it), she had gone to talk with Lena because aside from class, Kara never saw her. That was when she asked her to go to the first Quidditch game with them. 

Waverly had come but sat with her sister, Wynonna, whom Kara mostly did not understand. She thought since Lena did not know Waverly, that might have been the reason she did not want to come. But, she knew Winn and it ended up just being the three of them. They sat in the Hufflepuff section because Lena said a Slytherin sitting with the Gryffindors during the game, no matter whom she was cheering for, would not go over well. Alex had tried to explain the inter-house tensions that existed but Kara never really understood the why behind it all.

She jumped in the air, swatting an invisible quaffle, “And James’ save was so cool. I thought he was gonna miss it!”

“Aw, thanks Kara.” Kara squealed and turned around, running into an open-armed James who chuckled. “I could hear you cheering at the goalposts.”

“She’s so loud,” Winn winced. Kara introduced the boys since they had not yet met. “Cheering for Gryffindor today, mate?”

“Only if you’re not playing Ravenclaw.” James nodded and they high-fived. Kara giggled. Lena had yet to say anything.

“Great game, James,” came a voice from beside their small group. The face of the girl who had spoken turned red but she still smiled at him before running after a group of her friends. Kara had never seen her before, “Who’s that?”

“Lucy Lane,” James did not explain anymore mostly because he did not know how to explain. “Well, she seems nice.”

James and Winn were getting along and Kara fell back in line with Lena. “He likes her.”

“Huh?”

“James likes Lucy.” Kara made a face, “Ugh, that’s weird. James is my friend.”

“What does that have anything to do with anything, Kara?” Lena questioned. Kara had never thought about people having crushes on each other. She had seen it but it had always been with people who were a lot older than her. She shrugged, “Nothing I guess.”

“Lena.” Both of the girls started. Leaning against the walkway that separated the grounds from the courtyard was a Slytherin girl who was older than Kara. She looked Lena up and down when they neared, “Are you okay?”

Lena nodded. “Is this the friend you mentioned?”

Kara perked up at the mention of ‘friend.’ Lena had never said she wanted to be friends, “So, you _do_ wanna be my friend?”

“If that’s okay,” Lena responded. Kara shrieked, “Of course! I’ve wanted to be friends since we met on the train.”

Kara stuck out her hand to the older Slytherin, “I’m Kara.”

“I see that.” The girl shook her hand quickly but dropped it. She turned to Lena, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Did you see the game?” Kara asked. 

“School spirit isn’t really my thing,” she seemed irritated and Kara decided to stop asking questions. Whenever people got irritated with her, they got mad at her and yelled or said something mean. 

James and Winn had stopped and were turned around waiting for them. Kara nudged Lena who said bye to the girl. Lena was staring at her but Kara refused to look at her, “Kara, what’s wrong?”

“Everyone thinks I’m annoying.”

“I don’t. And Carmilla? She thinks everything is annoying.”

Kara was not entirely certain that Lena was telling her the truth, “But I’m really loud when I get excited and I talk all the time and you don’t really do either.”

“That doesn’t make you annoying. That just makes us different people.” Lena said it in such a way that made it seem simpler than Kara had ever thought it. “Alex always tells me that.”

“It’s true,” Lena assured her.

They made it to the entrance hall before James said goodbye, “I gotta get going. There’s a party in our common room.”

“Did someone say party?” Kara had seen the Hufflepuff boy around but had never met him. She thought he was a second year.

“Push off, Mon-El. Gryffindors only,” James told him. He was not a fan of the second year and it had nothing to do with a Quidditch rivalry…mostly. “Dude, no need to be rude about it. Everyone likes a good party.”

The kid put his hands up and walked away. “Stay away from him,” James warned, “He’s a prick.”

“You’re gonna like, hang out with us another time right?” Winn cleared his throat, “I mean – just cause – yeah, that’d be cool.”

“I don’t see why not. See ya later,” James ran off. Winn did too. He said he had to practice Charms because Professor Flitwick told him his levitation charm was lacking in proficiency. Lena offered him help but he turned her down which left Kara and Lena standing in the entrance hall. “So…”

“Thanks for wanting to be my friend.” Lena spoke so quietly Kara could have missed it. Lena had tried to explain but nothing she said made sense to Kara. There was no reason not to be Lena’s friend. “You’re nice and awesome and of course I want to be your friend.”

Kara went in for a hug but Lena moved back. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Lena shook her head, “I’m just not used to -”

“Okay, that’s alright. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Lena almost smiled and Kara thought that was the first time she had even seen that since the train. “Thanks, Kara.”

Lena started to walk away but Kara called after her, “I know I’ll see you before this but will you come to the Hufflepuff game with me?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Lena waved and headed off in the opposite direction for the stairs that led to the dungeon. Kara made her way to the barrels outside the kitchen and tapped the rhythm. She looked at the portrait of the pear longingly, hoping that one day, Laura might teach her the trick to get in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	4. Hogsmeade For Dummies

It was obvious to everyone that Laura was having a difficult time with the Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw game. She wanted to be loyal to her house but she had no friends on the team and wanted to support Lafontaine and JP. After Lafontaine teased her about it they assured her that it was not the end of the world. Her outfit that day though was a complete mess of yellow and blue. 

Danny always forced the Gryffindor team to sit together and watch the game, making strategies and taking notes. They all hated it. So it was just Laura and Perry walking down to the pitch. Perry refused to pick a side since she was hoping to become Hufflepuff prefect. Instead she decided to cheer for Hufflepuff and Laf and JP separately. 

Ravenclaw won. Their captain was the seeker and a complete beast on the field. He had the snitch in less time than it took Laura to get ready that morning. That’s just how Quidditch played out sometimes. 

But that had been the last game of the term before winter break and there had also been a noticeable increase in homework. 

“It’s like they’re trying to shove in everything they’re supposed to teach us in two weeks,” Laura exclaimed as she joined the rest of the students going to Hogsmeade in the courtyard. 

“Relax, frosh,” Lafontaine suggested. They only had one year on Laura but even to them, the amount of work seemed to have been amped up this year, “Hogsmeade will be a nice break.”

“But then we all need to get back to studying,” Perry added. She had made it her personal responsibility to make sure Lafontaine and Laura never missed any work. She even kept up on what work they had in classes she was not in just to make sure they finished it all. 

“Perry if you mention one thing about school today, I’m pushing you in the snow,” Lafontaine threatened. Laura laughed at the expression on Perry’s face before she was in a headlock and her hair was being ruffled, “Hey, little L.”

Laura shoved at the hand roughing up her hair, “Kirsch, get off!”

He was laughing but let her go. They had all been to Hogsmeade many times over. Laura had only been once before and so she was excited to go again. It was a nice break from the castle, especially the sweet shop. She got so hopped up on sugar the last time that Kirsch had to give her a piggy back ride all the way back to the castle so she would not run off. He had not minded and Lafontaine had something to use as ammunition against her later. Perry gave a little speech about nutrition and Laura was sure Danny was the only who had paid attention. “Wait, where is Danny?”

“I don’t think she’s coming today because -” He was interrupted by a girl Laura recognized as one of the chasers on the Gryffindor team, “Hey, Kirsch! You mind if I hang with you today?”

“Alex! I thought you were training with Danny today?” Kirsch asked. That was the answer he had been trying to give to Laura. 

“Almost as soon as we got there, she let us go. Sawyer ticked her off very quickly,” Alex said, her mood souring. 

“Where is Sawyer? I thought you’d go to Hogsmeade together?” Alex tensed at the question and grumbled, “I don’t know.”

Maggie was clearly visible to everyone on the other side of the courtyard, hanging around with Chrissy and a couple of her sixth year friends. Alex did not want to talk about Maggie. 

Kirsch was about to ask another question when Lafontaine elbowed him in the side and spoke up, “No problem, Alex. Nice to meet you.”

They did brief introductions and Lafontaine skipped forward, “And we’re off!”

Laura dropped back to Alex as they made their way down the path from the castle to the town. Alex had her head down against the wind. “You’re a third year, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, her voice getting lost in the air.

“Me too. I think I might know your little sister,” Laura offered as a conversation starter. She did not have any friends in her own year and this was an opportunity presenting itself. Alex’s interest was caught by that, “Ooooh, you’re the Laura Kara mentioned she met at the Sorting.”

“Yeah, that would be me and Perry up there knows her too. She mentioned you but I didn’t get a chance to meet you until now.” Laura had known of Alex, she’d seen her on the pitch during games, “Great first game of the year by the way.”

“Thanks,” Alex said though she changed the subject very quickly, “But, Kara, she’s okay? She’s doing alright?”

“Yeah, definitely! Well, I don’t know how she’s doing in her classes or anything but she seems like she likes it here. She likes Hufflepuff as far as I can tell so that make things easier,” Laura explained as much as she could. She did not necessarily keep up with Kara much but they talked whenever they saw each other in the common room. Kara always had Waverly as a shadow so Laura knew she was not alone.

“She does have friends though, right?” Alex asked concerned for her sister who had never easily adjusted to anything new. She was always tagging along behind Alex but she could not do that anymore. Eliza had already sent her a few letters checking in on herself and on Kara and asking her to keep an eye on her younger sister. Her mom did not quite understand what it meant that they were separated by houses and by year. Her ability to see her sister was greatly reduced. 

“Waverly is another Hufflepuff first year and they seem to be good friends. But like I said, I don’t really see her outside of the common room so I’m not sure. There is this second year kid, I think he’s on the Quidditch team, who seems to want to hang around with them and Kara’s nice to him, though I’ve never seen Kara be rude or mean to anyone, but she doesn’t seem that interested in a friendship. Maybe its cause Waverly isn’t.”

Alex made a mental note to check that out later, “Thanks for keeping an eye on her.”

**********

“Hey, Laura!” He knew she would turn around and he knew she would get hit right in the face. Laura was wiping the snow from her face with mittens while Kirsch fell on the ground laughing. He also knew she was going to try to get him back, but that was the fun of the whole thing. What he did not expect was for her to come barreling at him and jump on him, “Oooff!”

He groaned under the weight, her knee was pushing into his stomach, “Okay, okay, get off.”

He pushed her off with ease but she pinned him down and took some snow, rubbing it into his face. Her eyes were glaring at him but she was full smile, “You deserved that.”

They both stood up, brushing off when a snowball hit Kirsch in the back of the head, “Ow, dude, why?”

He turned and Alex smiled, “It looked fun and I’ve got the accuracy of a Chaser.”

Kirsch gave her a high-five. She was smiling and that was an improvement from earlier. 

“Guys,” Lafontaine groaned, “It’s cold and I want a butterbeer.”

Kirsch grabbed Laura under his arm and Alex under the other one and dragged them along. They did not have much farther to go before the door to The Three Broomsticks opened sending a rush of heat into all of their wind-whipped faces. Perry sought out a table and Kirsch went up to the counter, “Hey, M’gann.”

The woman behind the bar smiled, “Just one, Kirsch?”

“No, actually I’ll need a round for the lot of us. Five hot, please,” Kirsch leaned against the counter as M’gann filled up the glasses. She had been the bartender since at least Kirsch’s third year; he met her his first year in Hogsmeade. She pushed the tray toward him, “Shout if you need another.”

“Thanks, M’gann,” Kirsch took the tray and set it down in the middle of the table. Everyone grabbed them immediately. Lafontaine sighed with a smile on their face as Perry took little sips. Laura brought her glass back, leaving a froth mustache on her face. Alex downed half the glass at one time. The butterbeer was warm in Kirsch’s hand and one swallow warmed his entire body.

“Who wants to go to Honeydukes?”

“Laura,” Lafontaine set their chair back down on the floor, “we just got here.”

The door swung open again and JP and SJ walked through, finding the group instantly. Kirsch stood up, “I didn’t know you guys were coming!”

JP instantly went to Lafontaine and they started discussing if it was really impossible to animate something that was dead. It was always something morbid with the two of them. SJ hugged Kirsch, her yellow and black scarf scratching his face, “What are you guys up to?”

“Laura’s complaining that no one will go to Honeydukes right now.” SJ looked at the pout on Laura’s face, “Alright, come on. Let’s go.”

Laura squealed and jumped up from the chair. Alex half covered her ears before smiling; Laura reminded her a lot of Kara. Kara would love if she brought something back for her. She took a large swig of the butterbeer, finishing it off and stood up, “I’m gonna go with them. Get something for my sister.”

When she left, Lafontaine turned to Kirsch, “So, what’s up with you and the Hufflepuff?”

**********

“Wynonna, I don’t get what all the hubbub is about,” Doc said, flicking a piece of cockroach cluster across the store. Wynonna rolled her eyes, “It’s called fun, Doc. Something that’s lost on you sometimes.”

“This isn’t exactly what I picture when I think of fun.” The insinuation was clear and Dolls gagged, “Nope. Not while I’m here you don’t.”

“This is fun because it’s for Waves. I promised her I’d bring something back. Oof -” Wynonna bumped into someone, “-sorry.”

The other girl apologized at the same time and Wynonna recognized her from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. “Your sister is friends with my sister.”

Wynonna squirmed under the assessment she was receiving, “Okay, maybe I got it wrong then.”

She went to walk away but a hand on her arm stopped her. “No, you’ve got it right. Your sister is Waverly?”

“Yeah, she told me all about Kara. She wanted to know if I knew you. I told her we didn’t run in the same circles.” 

“Come on, Wynonna,” Dolls said. 

“Don’t you want the low-down on your enemy?” she gestured at the Gryffindor and Dolls paused, looked, and then shrugged. Talking to a member of the rival team was not going to give him the information that would help win but that did not mean he wasn’t curious. The Gryffindor reached out a hand to shake his, “Nice win.”

He dipped his head, “Same to you.”

“Well this was weird so I guess we’ll be going,” Wynonna said. She considered getting Waverly acid pops as a joke but that was cruel, even for her. Sugar quills and a chocolate frog would do. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around-”

“Alex.”

“Alex.” Wynonna let Dolls pull her away, “Are you going to become friends with the them now?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Dolls. I actually am a Gryffindor.” He shook his head, “I didn’t mean that. I meant Quidditch players.”

“Alright, Doc, I guess it’s just you and me now. Can’t be friends with the quidditch captain over here.” 

“My pleasure,” Doc tipped his hat. Doc’s hat was an extension of his body and at this point no one questioned it but his first year was made up of a lot of jokes. Dolls growled, “You’re insufferable.”

He stormed off and Wynonna grabbed what she needed and paid before chasing him out in the snow. Because of his intimidating exterior, Wynonna had been surprised to find out that he had a heart. But, it existed, like in everyone else and she knew it was wounded now. “Come on, Doc. Time to go patch him up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	5. A Surprise for Christmas

The day winter break started, the castle was silent. She reveled in it. There were no first years running around lost. There were no fifth years or sixth year with their heads so far in a book studying for tests that they rammed into her. And even better yet, there was no Will. 

Not that her brother paid her much attention on most days as it were but now he was gone, far away from her. He went running back to their mother whenever he got a chance to. It was the first year Carmilla had signed up to stay at Hogwarts; she had not mentioned it to her mother and the howler she received when she did not show up at home for the break was a string of disappointments and insults. It was better that no one was around to witness that. 

She was sprawled out on the couch in the Slytherin common room. She enjoyed it when no one was there to bother her. So, she growled in annoyance when she heard the shoes on the stone of the corridor. It was a pleasant surprise when Lena rounded the corner, her arms folded across her chest. She was surprised to see Carmilla and halted. 

“I don’t bite, jumpy.” 

“I don’t want to bother you,” Lena explained.

Carmilla waved her hand around the circle of furniture, “With you, I can share.”

Most of the students gave Carmilla space whenever she was around, but she never actually minded Lena. They shared the tiny alcove in the library together; a living room was not any worse.

“I thought you were going home, Luthor.” Lena grimaced. She hated when people called her that; it was a reminder of her family or lack thereof but Carmilla had said it was her name and she was going to have to get used to being called by it. 

“There’s not much to go home to.” Lilian would be the only family to go back to. She would be cold and mostly would not speak to Lena so it seemed better to spend the break alone than with a constant reminder that she was not wanted. 

Carmilla was reading a book she had taken out of the library before the break; she would have to sneak in later for more reading material. “None of your little friends invited you home with them?”

“I didn’t tell them,” Lena said quietly. “Not even that little blonde who could fuel a rocket with all the energy bouncing around inside her? She’s so small; I’m surprised she hasn’t exploded yet.”

Lena laughed a little at the description of Kara but cut it short; it felt weird, “I don’t want her to know. Her family is wonderful; she doesn’t really understand how mine works.”

“So you decided to hang back with me? We can commiserate together over our horrible mothers,” Carmilla was very outspoken about her disdain for her family. Lena wished that she could be that courageous but she always worried it was going to get back to them and they would see her as more of traitor than they already did. They had never accepted her as one of them in the first place, it was not such a leap. “It was easier.”

Carmilla studied her. Since she had first met the first year, there had been something about her. For an eleven year old, she was wise beyond her years. It came with experiences and the hardships she faced caused her to grow up fast but Carmilla saw the innocent eleven year old behind it all. If she had been anyone else, it might have made her sad or ignited her to help but she had been there only two years ago and knew what it was like. She hated the pity thrown upon her. Lena did not want attention. Carmilla frequently chose not to react and the subject would move on. 

“Do you care if I practice charms? I don’t want to get rusty for next term.” Carmilla shrugged, “Sure.”

Lena used her wand to light a fire in the fireplace and then went back and forth between freezing the flames and sending them roaring again. Carmilla watched. “Are you sure you need to practice?”

“Professor Flitwick asked us to.” 

“Your wand work is impressive. I’m not sure he was talking to you,” Carmilla said. Carmilla knew third years who were not as accurate as Lena was after one term.

Lena continued her work, “It’s monotonous; it takes up time. It doesn’t really require me to think about anything and sometimes that’s nice.”

“I can teach you some upper level stuff,” Carmilla offered. Lena was about the get excited but worry took over, “Are you sure that’s allowed?”

“I taught myself before I even got to Hogwarts. Professor Flitwick says I am really advanced and could be learning sixth year charms though I think I already know most of the ones he teaches,” she set her book down with emphasis, “I read a lot.”

“But is it allowed?”

“I’m not a rule-follower, cutie.”

**********

Kara woke Alex up by jumping on her bed and yelling, “It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas!”

It was how Alex had been woken up on Christmas each year since Kara was brought into their family and every year it was just as aggravating as the last. She groaned and rolled over. That never stopped Kara. She flopped down on top of Alex, trying to hug her through the covers, “Get up, sleepyhead. It’s Christmas!”

“It will still be Christmas in two hours, Kara.” Kara pulled at the covers, trying to unravel Alex, “But it’s also Christmas now and that we means we can have more Christmas.”

Alex finally turned to face her, opening her eyes. Kara’s face was very close to her’s and she pushed Kara back a little bit. “I’m not sure that’s the correct logic.”

“Fine but Eliza told me to wake you up,” Kara said as she hopped off the bed. Alex sat up, “That’s such a lie!”

Eliza popped her head in the room, “Actually sweetheart, its not. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t let her wake you up at four.”

“Ugh, mom, she’s eleven. She can wait until a decent hour,” Alex fell back on the bed. “Since when has your sister ever been able to wait for anything?”

Kara was one of the most impatient people Alex had ever met but she was always well intentioned. Alex sighed. If she went back to sleep, Kara would just jump on her again; there was no point in trying. “Fine. I’ll be down in a couple minutes.”

 

The fourth stocking on the fireplace sent a pang of grief through Alex. It happened every Christmas. Eliza came over and hugged her and once Kara saw what Alex was staring at, her face lost its smile and she grabbed Alex’s hand. Her father had been gone for years now but she had never stopped feeling empty whenever she was reminded that he should be there with them. 

“Come on,” Eliza squeezed her shoulder, “He loved Christmas morning.”

Kara dove in and Astro rolled out of the way and underneath the table. She ripped open the wrapping paper and showed them the gift, excited before even knowing what she was holding. And always still excited after she took a moment to figure out what it was. 

Alex had gotten her a Hufflepuff House blanket and Kara was wearing it around the living room like a cape. Kara had given Alex a broomstick cleaning kit. “Kara, how’d you know my old kit was almost empty?”

“I listen,” Kara indignantly pouted. Eliza and Alex exchanged looks, “Sure, yeah, of course you do.”

“Thanks, I definitely need to do some touch ups before the next game.” Alex had given her mother a pair of earrings and put Kara’s name on the gift as well. Eliza in turn, with Alex’s help, got Kara a care package from Honeydukes. Alex had it sent to their house by owl so Kara would not see it on the train home. 

Eliza had personally handed Alex her gift, “Your father would have wanted you to have this.”

Alex undid the ribbon and carefully opened the box, her hands shaking. Inside was a golden locket. She unclasped it and opened it, revealing a ruby on one side and a picture of her and her father in the other. Alex sniffled and wiped a way a tear. 

“He carried this wherever he went and I waited for the right time to give it to you. Now seemed as good a time as ever.” Alex hugged her mom tightly. Kara crawled over to the look at the locket and exclaimed, “Alex, it’s just like mine!”

Kara pulled her own locket out from under her shirt and was beaming, “We match now.”

Kara’s locket was different though. It was silver, it did not open, and there was no gemstone or picture attached to it. But, an “S” was carved into the face and Kara never took it off. She never talked about it. 

As Kara dug into the sweets that Eliza had forbid her to eat until after they had their lunch (Kara whined because they still had yet to eat breakfast), an owl alighted on the window and pecked at the glass. 

“For me!” Kara yelled and ran to the window but when she opened it, the owl flew in (with some unwanted snow) and landed on the table next to Alex, holding out its foot. Alex unwound the letter and paid the owl before it flew from the house. 

Kara was not in the least perturbed that the package had not been for her and rushed to Alex, “What is it? Who’s it from?”

Alex pushed her off when she saw the handwriting, “Its nothing.”

Kara fell onto the couch but Alex ignored her and climbed the stairs to her room. She sat on her bed and stared at the package. Her name was written in black ink on the front of the paper…in Maggie’s handwriting. She could not make up her mind whether or not she wanted to see what was inside.

They had not been talking much mostly because Alex was avoiding her at all costs. It had all started with Chrissy and the roiling feeling Alex got in her stomach when Maggie had shown interest in the sixth year. This was the first correspondence she had from Maggie since the start of break, not that she had sent anything herself. 

If she left it unwrapped, she would just be thinking about it all day but what if what was inside was something she would not be able to stop thinking about until she saw Maggie again in two weeks? She sighed and pulled the twine apart, letting it drop to the floor. There was a letter that she opened first. It was not neat, Maggie’s writing never was but she had learned to read it:

_“I almost didn’t send this but we’ve always made a pretty good team. Don’t give up on it now, Danvers._

__

__

_P.S. Save it for something special”_

It was cryptic and Alex could not make much sense out the sentence before the P.S. Don’t give up on their friendship? On their teamwork? Usually Alex was the unclear one. 

Inside the packaging was a small bottle of Swott Malt Whiskey. Alex had no idea how Maggie had gotten her hands on it but she couldn’t help the smile. It was totally something Maggie would do: give Alex contraband that is. 

Alex rolled the bottle between her hands deciding that she should listen to Maggie’s P.S. She slid it under a couple sweaters that she had not unpacked from her school trunk and went back downstairs. 

Kara was eating a huge stack of pancakes at the kitchen table and her mother pointed at her with a spatula, “I’m making a second batch since Kara ate all the ones in the first batch.”

“Where do you put it all?” Alex asked as she sat across from her sister. Kara spoke with her mouth full, small chucks of chewed pancake spewing onto her plate. Alex grimaced. “Who was it from?”

“Maggie.”

“What was it?” Kara asked at the same time her mother asked, “Who was what from?”

“Maggie sent an owl. It was just a letter.” Kara narrowed her eyes, “It was a box.”

“A very long letter,” there were very few things that Alex kept from her family but Eliza would confiscate the gift and Alex wanted to avoid that. For now. Kara did not believe her but she was too busy shoveling pancakes into her mouth to care. 

“Well that was nice,” Eliza commented. Her mom had never met Maggie but Alex mentioned her often. 

All of a sudden, Kara’s chair screeched across the floor as she jumped up, “Oh no! I forgot to send Lena her present!”

Kara dashed upstairs and Alex sat wide-eyed at the table. “Who’s Lena?”

Alex turned to her mom, her eyes still wide, “I think she means Lena Luthor.”

“A Luthor?” Eliza asked, “Alex, I thought you were supposed to keeping an eye on her.”

“I am!” And she was, but she could not keep tabs on Kara all day when they were not even in the same house, “I can’t trail her all day, mom. She’s never even mentioned Lena before right now, how was I supposed to know?”

Eliza did not say anything in response and Alex sat with the plate of pancakes in front of her, bewildered. Kara and Lena. That friendship was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	6. A Gift Is A Gift Is A Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been asked to list the changing points of view for each chapter but the story is written in third person multiple meaning that even without the asterisks where it breaks, there's sometimes more than one person's point of view. The breaks simply mean that the focus is changing. Let me know if listing which character the part is focusing on will help or not.

“Danvers!” Alex stopped in her tracks. Maggie jogged down the corridor. “How you have been avoiding me when we live in the same dormitory, I can’t figure it out.”

Alex turned toward her. “Well, did you get the goods I sent you?”

“Yeah,” Alex said while looking at her feet. Maggie cocked her head to the side, “Good. I wasn’t sure. You didn’t send a note back.”

Alex was silent. Maggie hiked her bag up on her bag more, “Okay, Danvers, what did I do that was so terrible that you won’t talk to me now? Something has obviously been up.”

Alex was avoiding her eyes at all costs; this was not a conversation she wanted to have with Maggie at all. So instead she smiled, “The booze helped.”

There was something in there that Maggie did not quite believe but she smiled anyway, “My evil plan worked then. It would’ve been nice for a note back. Not even a ‘Happy Christmas.’ Damn, Danvers. Cold.”

Alex shrugged, “I didn’t even know if I was going to open it.”

If she could get Alex to talk, maybe she could fix whatever she messed up. “I’ve been mad at you.”

“Like that hasn’t been obvious.”

“It’s not like you care,” Alex snapped, her eyes finally meeting Maggie’s. Maggie was taken aback, “What the hell does that mean?”

“You wouldn’t have noticed. You dropped me as soon as Chrissy came into the picture.” There was so much more Alex could have added to that but she couldn’t face it herself so what was the point of putting it out there?

Maggie laughed, “Chrissy was not ever going to become my new best friend. She’s a hot girl. She never once reciprocated anything. I flirted with her. She let me. It was a game.”

“You stopped hanging out with me for weeks after she joined the team,” Alex responded. Maggie was exasperated; maybe Alex had not seen it from her side but she had not had much of a choice, “As soon as she was on the team you acted like you wanted nothing to do with me. If you weren’t gonna talk to me, what did you expect me to do?”

Alex shrugged. Maggie sighed. “Listen, Danvers. You’re the best around here. Stop trying to hide from me.”

Maggie did not wait for Alex to respond before she traipsed down the corridor. Alex would have to follow her; they both took Ancient Runes. And soon enough, there was a set of footsteps coming up behind her, “Sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”

Maggie threw her arm around Alex’s shoulders, “Don’t sweat it, Danvers.”

**********

“Here,” Lena held out a box to Kara when they were in their first Transfiguration class after break. Kara looked at it and shook her head. It was the box that she had sent Lena’s Christmas gift to her in. She hesitantly took it and opened it. It revealed the serpent pin that was her gift to Lena. “Um…Lena this is yours.”

“I can’t accept that,” Lena said. Kara scrunched her eyebrows together, “Why? I wanted you to have it.”

“Because you shouldn’t have gotten me anything.”

“You’re my friend,” Kara said. And for her that was all that was needed as an explanation. Lena on the other hand pushed, “What did you get Winn? Or James? Or Waverly?”

“Well, I didn’t -”

“Then I can’t take this.” Kara was confused. She had gotten her friend something for Christmas because she saw the pin and thought of Lena but now she was being told that was not allowed. It did not make any sense to her. She always exchanged gifts with Alex and that was not wrong. She gave gifts to Eliza and that was acceptable. But with Lena, she was not allowed to give gifts. Kara stared at her until Lena spoke again, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I don’t understand.” Lena was becoming impatient. She gave the gift back, Kara was just supposed to accept that.

“Kara, it was nice. But you can’t just get me things. If you noticed, I didn’t get you anything.”

Now Kara was upset, “I didn’t get you anything because I wanted you to get me something. I saw it and it reminded me of you because you’re in Slytherin. I thought you were supposed to give people you care about things on Christmas. I was just trying to be nice.”

Kara almost slammed the box down on the desk but she knew she was losing control and would split the wood if she did, so she dropped it instead. “I don’t want it back.”

Class had not even started yet and she did not know if she would get in trouble but she was too confused and angry to sit still. She ran from the room. Waverly called after her but no one actually came after her; she was free to go back to the dormitory. It was empty; all the first year girls were in Transfiguration where they were supposed to be. It made her feel alone and she hated to feel alone.

She tried lying on her bed but she just kept getting up and pacing the room. If she could not calm herself down, she knew she would break something. It had happened many times before. She did not want anyone to find her amidst the broken glass of the mirror or even the wood of the bedposts. She knew that would get her in trouble. Whenever she could not calm down, Alex was always there. She needed her sister. 

Alex did not have any classes on Monday but Kara still did not know where she could be. She looked into the Great Hall but there was no sign of her. Then she ran to the library and her search came up empty. She ended up on the seventh floor in front of the painting of The Fat Lady, crying. She didn’t know the password since she was not a Gryffindor so she couldn’t get in. She sat down on the floor in the hallway, tears streaming down her face, trying to catch her breath. She fisted her hands trying to keep the magic in. 

The Fat Lady tried to no avail to get the crying girl to stop wailing; it was getting on her nerves. It lasted until she could not take it anymore and she swung open, yelling into the common room to “find this girl’s sister.”

Alex burst through the portrait entrance a few minutes later and looked around wildly until she saw Kara, crying into her arms against the wall. “Kara!”

Kara tried to talk but she couldn’t get the words out between sobs. She was not this upset about Lena; this was because she was trying to hold in the magic and it hurt. Alex knelt down in front of her, knowing exactly what was going on (mostly) and held her hands, squeezing them between her own. “Kara, I’m here, alright? You can let it out.”

Kara shook her head. “You have to, Kara.”

Kara shook her head, almost violently. Her words came out cracked between sobs, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re hurting yourself. We’ve done this before. We share the pain, okay?” Kara still refused, “I hate it. I don’t like when you hurt.”

Alex was on the verge of tears now, “And I don’t like when you hurt. You have to let me take some of it, okay?”

The pain was never incapacitating. It felt like exactly what it was: foreign magic flowing into her. It was something that was not supposed to be in her body and it fought against the invader. The pain was her body rejecting it.

They were starting to draw a crowd. Gryffindors were coming out of the common room to see what the commotion was and people were stopping in the hall on their way to classes. Maggie appeared out of nowhere, “Alex?”

Kara was shaking. She could not look away from Alex who was urging her to let go. Alex was whispering now so that people wouldn’t hear what she was saying. They didn’t know what would happen if people found out about Kara. “Kara, please. Just let me help.”

Kara grimaced but nodded. Alex shut her eyes and her face became taut as the rogue magic streamed between them. Then the muscles in her arms grew taut and as the magic continued to flow, spreading out, the rest of her body became tight. She no longer had control. It was exactly how Kara felt trying to keep it all in.

The shaking slowed and Kara cut off the flow of magic now that she was able to handle it. Sweat had formed on Alex’s forehead and her muscles had yet to relax but her eyes were open and searching. Kara leaned forward and hugged her. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Kara.” She was still sniffling but pulled away from Alex. Maggie turned to everyone in the crowd, “Shoo! Nothing to see here, move along,” when some people did not move she pointed her wand at them, “Get outta here.”

That sent most people running. “Alex?”

Alex rubbed the tears from her face and turned, “Yeah?”

“What’s going on?” Alex waved her off, “Kara gets panic attacks.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows but let it slide. Alex slid around the floor to sit next to Kara. She put her arms around her and Kara leaned in, wiping her nose on her robes. Maggie just watched them. “Kara, what happened?”

“Lena tried to give her Christmas present back to me. She said she couldn’t keep it. And I didn’t know why and I got upset and then I couldn’t,” she looked at Maggie and changed her sentence, “And then I started panicking in the common room and I needed to find Alex.”

“Lena Luthor?” Maggie asked for clarification. Alex shot her a look, “We’ll deal with that later.”

Alex rocked Kara, “You’re okay now, alright? You’re fine.”

“Why did she give it back?” Kara felt Alex’s jaw tighten against her head. “I don’t know. Some people just don’t like gifts.”

“We’re friends.”

“Sssh, I know. I know.” 

It took a little bit but Kara eventually calmed down, “I’m missing Transfiguration.”

“Do you want to go back?” Kara nodded, “I don’t have my books though.”

“I’ll walk with you. We’ll explain, okay?”

“But we can’t-” Kara started to protest but then remembered Maggie and whispered, “But we can’t tell him the truth.”

“We’ll tell him what we always tell people, alright?” 

Maggie piped in, “Take her to the infirmary. She can get a pass and then she won’t be in trouble.”

Alex helped Kara up and nodded in thanks to Maggie who disappeared into the common room. 

The nurse looked Kara over, but as she was already calmed down, a calming drought was unnecessary. The note was written and when Kara handed it to her professor, he took it and told her to take a seat. They had not learned anything knew and were just refreshing the spells they learned from the last term so Kara had not missed anything important. 

When she was walking to her desk, she saw Lena looking at her but she quickly looked away. Waverly scooted closer in her chair to work with Kara. Alex squeezed her shoulder, “I’ll come find you at dinner, okay?”

Kara nodded and Alex left. When she passed Lena she slipped a piece of paper onto the desk. She had written the note when she waited for the nurse to finish with Kara. It was a warning that read:

 _We now have a problem, Luthor._

**********

Carmilla eyed her over the book. Lena was wrapped up in a Potions essay and was paying her no attention. The pitch was not visible from the library but the Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin game was in full swing and yet Lena was sitting with Carmilla in the library. Lena’s quill was scratching at the parchment. Even when she looked up something in her book, she did not notice Carmilla staring. “What happened?”

Lena looked up mid-sentence, “What?”

Carmilla waved her hand out, “What is this?”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lena went back to writing but Carmilla plucked the quill from her hand, “Quidditch games mean you’re with the Hufflepuff. And there is a Quidditch game right now – it’s a Slytherin one too, she would definitely have dragged you to it – and yet, you’re here with me.”

“Kara’s in Hufflepuff, she would not have any interest in a Slytherin game,” Lena said, avoiding Carmilla’s eyes. 

“Ah, but there you’d be wrong. You’re in Slytherin. That girl wouldn’t let you miss your own house’s match,” Carmilla reached out and flicked the silver serpent pin on Lena’s shirt, “And what is this?”

“Kara gave it to me for Christmas.” Carmilla groaned, “Am I going to have to drag it out of you, Luthor? Because that’s not really my style.”

“I tried to give it back. I couldn’t accept this. Not from her, not from anyone. She got really upset. Now I’ve been given a warning from her sister. I’m keeping my distance,” she paused at the end of the story but decided to add, “It’s better for both of us.”

“You’re wearing it, so that didn’t go as planned.”

“She wouldn’t take it back and then she ran out and left it on the desk,” Lena explained. Carmilla scoffed, “So you wore it anyway? You didn’t want it.”

“I didn’t say that,” Lena said almost too quiet for Carmilla to hear.

“Listen up, Luthor. I’m not one for friends or apologies or any of that sappy crap. But what I’ve learned this year is that even though we have similar pasts, we are not nearly the same people. You’re making it hard on yourself. All you have to say to that girl is ‘I’m sorry’ and she would forgive you in seconds. Does she know you’re wearing her gift?” Carmilla asked. Lena shook her head, “I’ve been avoiding her.”

“How hard do you want your life to be? It’s already a mess. You’re being a martyr -”

“Have you seen yourself?” Lena blurted out. Carmilla stopped mid-sentence and raised her eyebrows. Lena had never once been that assertive with her and it took Carmilla by surprise. Lena’s eyes widened as if she just realized what she said and she opened her mouth for what Carmilla expected to be an apology. Carmilla put her hand up to stop her, “Now that is the Lena Luthor I’ve been waiting for.”

“I’m still sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve been nothing but kind to me.”

Carmilla grimaced, “No sappy stuff with me, kid. Now, get out of my library. Go find Kara. That girl is a bundle of energy and joy. It makes me nauseous. I don’t know how you put up with it.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“You hanging out with her means you don’t hang around me as much. It is totally selfish.” Carmilla said, going back to reading her book. Lena started packing up her bag and hopped down from the alcove. “I don’t know how to ask her to forgive me.”

“I’ve never asked before, I can’t help you there.” Why Lena always listened to Carmilla’s advice, she was never sure. It was never good advice. It never came from a place of knowledge. She was winging everything she ever told Lena.

Lena made it halfway down the aisle of books before Carmilla called out, “And if her sister ever gives you a problem, let me know, I’ll take care of it.”

“Sounds like you care,” Lena said. 

Carmilla gagged, “You wish.”

 

“Why are you here? Why do you always show up to ruin my day?”

Will shoved her legs off the couch in the common room, “Mother said she hasn’t heard from you in awhile.”

Will snarled, “She sent me to check on you.”

“Since when has Mother ever cared?” Carmilla snorted.

“You’re her darling girl, kitty. She has always cared,” Will drawled. Carmilla rolled her eyes, “So in other words, she wants you to keep tabs on me.”

“She was very disappointed when you did not arrive for Christmas. You can imagine the surprise for all of us,” Will lounged across the couch, taking up more room than necessary. 

“I always was the disappointment in the family.” Will scowled and stood, “Write her. I’m tired of being her lackey when it comes to you.”

“Aw, little William, have you finally decided to assert yourself? Move up in the family business?” she teased, knowing she was egging him on for a fight. His hand flinched to his wand, but he thought better of it. To her dismay, he set off with only one last look toward her. She did not necessarily blame him; all of their other encounters had sent him to the infirmary. She called to him as he turned the corner to the third year boys’ dormitory, “At least you know you’re just a pawn!”

**********

Waverly was stopped in the hallway, outside her classroom. All she wanted to do was get out of the conversation she was in yet she could not escape. “I definitely want to see you and Kara at the next match. Cheering me on.”

His smile made her want to gag. He reminded her way too much of a boy from her old school, Champ. For some reason, he thought they wanted to be friends with him. She was trying to be so polite because he did not seem to mean anything wrong by what he said, but it all came out condescending. “I have to get to class.”

“You’ve still got five minutes, what’s the rush?” he asked. 

“Don’t you have to go to class?”

He smiled and shrugged, “I’ve got a free period.”

“Okay, well Kara and I have gone to every Quidditch game, no matter what house was playing, so I’m sure we’ll be at the next one.” She tried to make it clear that they were not going to see him but his smile grew, “I’ll be looking out for you.”

“I should really -”

“Is this boy bothering you?” Waverly sighed, relieved when Wynonna appeared in the hallway. Her sister had Transfiguration in a class right down the hall from Waverly’s Charms class. 

“I’m not bothering, I’m just talking,” he reached out a hand to Wynonna, “I’m Mon-El.”

“That’s nice for you,” Wynonna had her attention on Waverly, “I can get rid of him for you.”

Waverly shook her head, “No, its okay. I was just telling him I have to get to class.”

“Right you do,” Wynonna said. “Mon-El!”

They all turned to see a Hufflepuff second year, that Waverly remembered seeing around the coming room, come barreling down the hallway. Mon-El looked like he wanted to run away but he was stuck between Wynonna and this new girl. “Mon-El! Last time was your last warning. I can’t believe I have to babysit you.”

Wynonna looked over to Waverly and mouthed “do you know her?” and Waverly just shook her head. Mon-El looked angry with a tint of shame, “Then you don’t have to. We’re the same year, Nicole. You’re not in charge of me.”

“I think you’d rather it were me. What do you think Spinnet would say when he finds out you lost Hufflepuff even more points because you were late for the thousandth time? I think he promised to kick you off the team.”

Mon-El glanced to Waverly and puffed out his chest, “He wouldn’t do that. I’m a great beater.”

“It’s also your first year on the team,” her eyes narrowed, “I wouldn’t push your luck. So, let’s go.”

When Mon-El did not leave Wynonna shooed him with her hand, “You can get now. Bye. See you.”

Mon-El looked very confused and hesitated to walk away but Nicole grabbed him by the ear and pulled him down the hall. His yelp echoes down the corridor. Wynonna grimaced, “He reminds me of Champ.”

Waverly laughed, “That’s what I was thinking.”

Wynonna pushed her forward into her class, “Now that though,” she said, pointing after the girl whom Mon-El had called Nicole, “That is the type of people you should be hanging out with.”

“I don’t think she’d want to be friend with me. She’s a second year.”

“And Dolls and Doc are both sixth years, yet here we are. Now go be your good student self and don’t be late.”

“You’re going to be late,” Waverly pointed out. Wynonna raised an eyebrow at her, “I never said I was a good student, baby girl.”

A breathless puffing echoed down the corridor. “Ah, looks like your little friend has decided to grace use with her presence,” Wynonna commented, “I’ve got to get going. I was told that next time I’m late, I’m getting transfigured.”

Waverly waved goodbye and Kara stopped beside her, “Kara! I was looking for you in the dormitory before I left.”

“Winn wanted to show me something and I lost track of time,” Kara said as Wavelry tried to usher her into the room. Wynonna was right, she had never been late for a class; she loved school. She felt like learning was her thing and she loved being able to do it. They walked in right on time and took their seats next to each other. She whispered as class started, “What did he show you?”

“I don’t really know. Winn talks fast and in some sort of language I don’t understand.” Winn was very smart and he knew a lot about the Muggle world that Kara had no idea about. If Winn mentioned a cellphone, Kara tuned out. He always tried to explain but Kara was never interested. She told Waverly she could not wrap her mind around what Winn referred to as “tech stuff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	7. Not Everyone's Happy on Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...I thought I had posted this chapter last Sunday. Turns out it didn't actually post. So sorry for missing a week guys!

Valentine’s Day was coming up and the tradition of singing cherubs was once again interrupting the day of many Hogwart’s students. They would fly into classes and disturb professors. They would accost the students in the hallways. There was a rumor that one even popped up in the shower of an unsuspecting fourth year Ravenclaw. At lunch, a cherub flew through the Great Hall and stopped next to a redheaded Gryffindor. Before it could even open its mouth she had jumped up and almost tackled a boy to the floor, wailing on him as he laughed and tried to defend himself, “Kirsch, I swear I am going to kill you!”

The commotion was loud enough for the entire hall to hear until they were broken up by the study hall proctor. Fifty points drained from the Gryffindor hourglass at the back of the Great Hall. The girl, whom Waverly recognized as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain whacked Kirsch on the head for good measure before sitting down to finish lunch. 

Kara had been absent a lot lately. Not from class, just from anything else. Waverly could never seem to find her and no one knew where she was. But just as Waverly was thinking about asking Alex, she showed up out of nowhere. Her face was bright red and she was holding something tight in her hand. “Kara?”

She sat down next to Waverly but her head seemed to be elsewhere, “Earth to Kara?”

Kara startled and looked at Waverly with a sheepish smile on her face. “Where have you been lately?”

“Nowhere.” That was usually the answer Waverly received. It made her feel unwanted that Kara refused to tell her; they were friends after all. “Okay, then why are you acting weird?”

Kara unclenched her fist and rolled a small square of paper onto the table. Waverly picked it up and read it. She giggled. Kara looked absolutely scandalized and swiped the paper back, “Its not funny!”

“I think it is.”

“Its not.”

“Its cute, Kara.” Kara held the paper up, “How is this cute? I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, what did you say to him?” Kara folded the paper up and stuffed it in her pocket, “I couldn’t say anything. He shoved it at me and ran away.”

That made Waverly giggle even more. “Stop it, Waverly! Winn’s my friend. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Its just a Valentine,” Waverly said. Kara rolled her eyes, “I thought so too until James asked me if Winn had given it to me yet. He said Winn was really excited about it. Did he give you a Valentine? I don’t think so.”

“Wasn’t it kind of obvious Winn had a crush on you?” Waverly questioned. Kara looked completely taken aback, “Obvious? We’re just friends!”

“You’re a little oblivious?” Alex sat down on the opposite side of Kara. Kara swiveled on the spot, “How did you find out already?”

“James told me last week,” Alex shrugged.

“And you didn’t say anything?” Kara was whisper shouting. Waverly was still trying to hold in her laughter. 

“I didn’t want to ruin it for Winn.”

“Well,” Kara was annoyed, “a warning would have been nice.”

Alex shrugged again, “What did you say to him?”

“He ran away,” Waverly piped up, “He just threw it at her and ran away.”

Alex grimaced, “Oh, that’s not a great start. That kid is not smooth.”

“I don’t want him to like me, I just want him to be my friend,” Kara complained. Waverly patted her back, “He can still be your friend.”

“Its just a crush, Kara. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Kara groaned and hung her head.

“What’s up, guys? Oh, did Little Danvers get her Valentine?” Kara groaned again and stomped off from the table. Maggie looked back, vexed, “What did I say?”

“She doesn’t like him back,” Waverly answered, “I’m going to go find her.”

Waverly ran from the Great Hall, leaving Alex and Maggie alone. “She didn’t know it was a thing,’” Alex said, using air quotes, “Apparently we should have warned her.” 

“That would’ve ruined the fun,” Maggie responded, “Listen up, Danvers. I know we had plans for a little extra training tonight, so don’t hate me, but I kinda have a date.”

“I thought you hated Valentine’s Day?” Alex said, trying not to become angry. She was starting to realize her anger was not just because Maggie was blowing off their pre-existing plans. 

“I do. I will always. Valentine’s Day makes me want to puke. It’s stupid. Its ridiculous that you need a manufactured holiday to prove that you care -”

“It just proves that people are patsies willing to throw away money, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I’ve heard the speech,” Alex finished. Maggie just nodded, “So, its just a date. Not a Valentine’s Day date. Just a regular date that happened to be the same day as this stupid holiday.”

“Thinking about how Winn has a crush on Kara is cute because they’re eleven and nothing is going to come of it because they’re eleven. And you, we, are only two years older than them. I can’t really comprehend the whole date thing yet.”

“Maybe it’s just not your thing, Danvers.”

“Explain to me what is going to happen on this date, Maggie. I would really like to know,” Alex said. And this time it was not a weird feeling that made her ask the question. She knew she sounded just like when Eliza would say, “You’re too young to be thinking about dating,” but she did feel that way. She was thirteen. She did not even know which feelings were real and which ones were not. How could she even think about going on a date with someone? What would she do? What would she say? The things she loved in life included Quidditch and Kara. Dating seemed liked some mystical subject that existed in a world other than hers. 

“We eat some food. Hopefully, I get to kiss her.” Maggie on the other hand had an entirely different opinion about it even though they never worked out. She was a hopeless flirt. Alex never even thought of trying to be flirty with someone before. She was sure she would be horrible at it. “At thirteen, can anything be qualified as a date?”

“Why are you hung up on the fact that we’re only thirteen? Danvers,” Maggie said, holding onto her shoulders, “we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us. Who doesn’t need a little practice? Kissing is fun. Do I really want the first time I kiss anyone to be with someone I really like? I want to be decent at it at least.”

“Just go on your whatever it is.”

“It’s a date,” Maggie assured her. Alex shook her head, “I’m not calling it that. Now Chrissy, remember her? The sixth year you actually thought you had a chance with -”

“I didn’t think that at all.

“-She can go on a date. That makes sense. This does not on the other hand,” Alex commented. Maggie just stared at her for a second, “Okay, think whatever you want but you’re not mad that I’m bailing, right? We’re good.”

“Yeah, we’re good. I’ll probably have to talk Kara through today’s drama anyway. I don’t want to hear about it when you get back.” Alex sighed. Maggie smiled, “Thanks, Danvers.”

**********

“What the hell is this?” Wynonna stormed into the Slytherin common room. People were shouting at her to get out. Doc’s hat could be seen just over the top of the couch and when he heard her, he slowly took it off and turned around. “Wynonna, you can’t be in here.”

Wynonna was holding one of the hearts that the cherubs gave out, above her head, “What the hell is this?”

“Well that would be a paper heart,” Doc replied. He had settled his hat against his chest.

“We don’t do this!” Doc put his hand out, “Why don’t we talk about this somewhere else?”

“No! There’s no need to talk. It’s too late. A stupid cherub left this fluttering down from the sky after HE SANG A POEM TO ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CORRIDOR!” Doc’s eyes widened. Irate Wynonna was worse than normal angry Wynonna and she had moved onto the spluttering stage of madness. Both hands were out in front of him, trying to ward off the onslaught. He could hear snickers coming from his housemates. Wynonna charged toward him, “You know who I was with when this came?”

Doc had an inkling of the answer but she was not going to give him the time to respond, “Dolls. That’s who. And does he know about this?” she pointed between them, “He does now. And now he’s not talking to me.”

“Wynonna, I meant no harm. It was just a small gesture of my appreciation for -” Wynonna cut him off, “Oh, I don’t want to hear it, Doc. You now what? You should be thanking me now that I think about it. Because good luck getting any now.”

There was a communal outburst of “ooooooooooh” from the Slytherin’s who were all watching. Nothing in this castle could ever be kept private. Wynonna stomped out leaving Doc with all eyes on him. He smiled through the embarrassment, “Nothing to see here.”

He chuckled uncomfortably and put his hat back on, trying to keep some of his pride. The hat had more confidence than he did. 

The Slytherins were not going to disperse so he was left to shamefully walk down the hallway made of people, to his dormitory. He tried to keep a smile on his face but it slipped. No one was laughing at him, they knew better than that, but there was definitely an aura of “oh shit, dude” from everyone who looked on. He tipped his hat to them and closed the dormitory door behind me.

Wynonna was a fireball. She was unpredictable. That’s the reason he had liked her. But her passion transferred to all emotions and her anger exploded on everyone around her. They had fights about worse things than this before so he knew that eventually, she would talk to him again. Their hook ups? He was realizing there was a very good chance that he had completely messed that up for himself. No matter what though, he’d take her back if she’d have him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	8. I'd Rather Keep My Feet on the Ground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this ended up being all about Lena and Kara

Lena knew as soon as she walked in the library that Carmilla was going to shove her out. Carmilla was indeed there, waiting at the entrance with her arms crossed, a stern look on her face, “Did you talk to her yet?”

Lena shook her head. Carmilla twirled her finger over Lena’s head and marched her from the library, “This is ridiculous. All you do is mope about it. I cannot stand one more day of your silent desperation. Let’s move.”

Carmilla dragged her through the corridors and out the doors across from the Great Hall. She pushed Lena into the courtyard and wagged her finger, “Go.”

Across the courtyard, Kara was balancing on the window ledges while Winn and Waverly tried to jump through them. There were a few other people lounging around on the grass that Lena did not recognize but they all laughed when one of the older boys in the group took a running leap through the window and caught his foot, sprawling out on the other side. She was not sure if Kara knew them or not. She looked to Carmilla who had her lips pursed. Carmilla was the most stubborn person Lena had ever met and that was even coming from the home of Lillian Luthor. There was no getting out of it now. 

“How did you know she was out here?” Lena questioned. Carmilla responded as if it wasn’t important, “I do my research.”

Lena shook her head and touched the serpent pin. It looked better pinned to her robes but she still wore it everyday. “Well go on. You’re not allowed back in the library until you have a friend again.”

“I wish I could kick you out for the same reason.” Carmilla smirked, “I was there first.”

Carmilla was not actually allowed to ban Lena from the library, they both knew that, but it was the principle of thing. The threat would not stick but it didn’t need to. Lena should have already made amends; it had been a couple month since she had spoken to Kara. Lena caught Kara throwing looks her way in class but she always ignored them. Most of the time, people stayed away from her. She was not used to anyone wanting to be near. 

With one more reassuring nod from Carmilla, Lena walked across the courtyard. Everyone stopped and stared. Whispers abounded. At this point, she was used to it. She thought people would get bored as the year went on, she never did anything interesting, but her last name was enough for them. 

Lena kept her focus on her target and saw Waverly stop jumping, her smile falling from her face. She nudged Kara who turned to look as the rest of the group near also stopped what they were doing. Kara found her eyes and a smile lit up her face. Kara may have been upset and mad but even after being ignored for two months, she was still happy to see Lena. 

Lena tried to push down the uncomfortable feelings that would make her come off as shy. That is not how she had been taught to handle any sort of situation and she was not going to stop being a Luthor when it actually mattered. She quickly glanced to the group that she was now positive were Kara’s friends. Alex was absent; she was grateful for that. They were looking on but none of their faces held any contempt, except for a tall redhead. Lena did not think that was only for her sake. She had seen the girl at work as Quidditch captain; she seemed formidable from afar. 

Kara did not run up and hug her. She knew Lena was not totally used to physical contact and she also did not know why Lena was approaching. She held her smile though and closed the distance. She could hear the whispering, everyone could. The least she could do was show them that Lena was wanted there. 

Lena stopped close enough for Kara to hear and for the rest of the school to not, “Hello, Kara.”

“Hi, Lena,” Kara said. Lena did not know if she had just been away from the excitable energy or if Kara was trying to make things seem normal. Either way, it made her feel better. “I’m sorry.”

Kara giggled; it was how she dealt with nerves, “No, no, you don’t hav-”

“Stop,” Lena said, “Because I do. I may not deserve your forgiveness but you deserve an apology.”

“You’re wearing it. That means you’re sorry.” Kara sounded so sure but Lena shook her head, “I need to say it too. I’m sorry that I was so rude about the gift you tried to give me. I have explanation upon explanation for my behavior but that doesn't matter. It matters that how I acted made you upset. I didn’t realize it was going to be such a big deal and so I’m sorry. I actually really like it.” 

Lena smiled a little when she said that, “And I need to apologize that I shut you out afterwards. I should have come to ask your forgiveness right away and instead I ran from you. That was even more wrong of me. I ignored you. I didn’t really want to but I did.”

Lena nodded when she was finished and Kara’s head bobbed right after, “Can I hug you now?”

Lena sighed. She knew Carmilla had been right. Even a girl who did not know Kara knew how caring and forgiving she was. “Yes, I’d like that.”

Kara squealed and rushed forward. Lena heard the surprised gasps of the crowd but she ignored them. Maybe it was because someone was hugging a Luthor. Maybe it was because a Hufflepuff was hugging a Slytherin. Whatever the reason for their reaction, it did not bother Lena. 

She had taken her friendship with Kara for granted when Kara made it so easy for Lena to be her friend. Lena pulled back, “Thank you for the gift. I still didn’t get you anything. I felt like it would take away from what I was saying.”

“Why are you always so formal? You talk like I’m the Minister of Magic,” Kara laughed. 

“It’s a family thing. I can’t get away from it. But am I forgiven?”

Kara rolled her eyes, “Of course you are. But now we’ve wasted two months of friendship that we have to make up. This is a disaster.”

Lena smiled. It was so easy for Kara to make everything seem less important than it was. She was so easy going and nothing seemed to take the pep out of her step. Kara pointed to the entrance of the castle, “I see your friend over there. Are you busy or do you want to stay?”

“I want to stay,” she responded and for the first time since coming to Hogwarts, she was sure of that feeling.

“She can come hang out with us if she wants to. The more the merrier,” Kara sang. Lena almost laughed at the thought of Carmilla around these people and shook her head, “She’s not one for crowds.”

Lena turned and waved. Carmilla nodded her head the slightest of bits and disappeared back into the castle. Kara pulled her hand, “Let me introduce you to everyone!”

“Oh, I’m not sure that’s necessary. They know who I am.”

Kara looked at her, more serious than Lena had ever seen her before, “No, they don’t know you. They just know your name. That doesn’t mean they know you.”

Kara understood more than she let on about Lena’s family. She understood it in the sense that she knew it to be true because Lena had told her but she did not understand how it could be true. She had never experienced that family dynamic before. Alex, Eliza, and Jeremiah had been so warm and welcoming. Her own parents had loved her more than she thought possible. So though she could not really comprehend what Lena explained, she accepted everything that she was told. And if it was hard for Lena, then she would work to make it easier.

Kara was oblivious to a lot of things. Alex had never shied away from letting her know that. But, it was hard to miss the whispers and rumors. If she could stop a few people from spreading the lies, then maybe eventually, everyone would get bored. 

She walked Lena over to her friends. She thought of them as friends. They had all been friends with Laura and Perry before her but sometimes Laura would invite Kara to join them. “Guys, this is Lena. She’s my friend.”

Lena saw the hesitation and usual apprehension that came from people first meeting her. They all politely said hello and introduced themselves but no one got up to shake her hand or hug her as Kara did. Even if it felt cold, it was better than being rejected.

 

“Did Winn really give you a Valentine?” Kara threw a hand over Lena’s mouth with an expression as if to say ‘oh my god.’ “Ssshhhh. We don’t talk about it anymore.”

“Did you talk to him about it?” Lena questioned. She had missed more than she expected. She caught on to James’ crush within seconds but entirely missed that Winn had a crush on one of his best friends. 

Kara turned red, “Kinda. He didn’t really want to and just asked me to forget about it. He didn’t talk to me for a couple of weeks because he said he was embarrassed. I think he still likes me though.”

“Kara, he’s not going to stop having a crush that quickly.” Kara’s shoulders slumped, “I know but I just want us to be friends.”

“And you’re not?” Lena goaded. 

“No, I think we are. It’s just a little weird now,” she tugged on her robes as they walked to the first year flying lessons. Lena hated everything about flying. She had never been afraid of heights but being up in the air, moving, it was unnatural. Kara whooped with glee whenever she was in the air. After one failed attempt in their first class, Kara was hovering with a huge smile on her face. She had excelled faster than anyone in the class. Everyone said she was a natural flyer. Some people wanted her to try out for the Quidditch teams but she always said no. Kara loved watching the games but she had no desire to play.

Winn was still wobbly but at least he was in the air. Waverly was steady but filled with hesitant excitement. Lena hated that she was forced to do it for class. Most of the time she had her eyes shut tight and never left the ground. It was not that she couldn’t fly, she wouldn’t fly. 

It was during that class that Madam Almieda told them that for their exam they would have to successfully complete an obstacle course. Lena wondered if anyone had failed a flying exam before and what happened if they did. She could never imagine doing anything that involved a broom so she was not sure if it mattered. But if her mother saw anything below an O or E on her grades, she would be very displeased. Her need to pass was more about self-preservation than any actual care to pass. 

Kara came up to her after class, her hair windblown from being up in the air. She always had more energy after their flying lesson. The stress of it drained all of Lena’s energy. “What’s wrong?”

Lena shook her head, “It’s nothing really. Just the exam.”

“Oh right,” it was hard for Kara to remember that someone could hate flying when she loved it so much, “I’ll help you.”

“That’s not necessary. I’ll figure something out.” Kara grabbed onto her arm as they walked, “I want to help. We’re friends. That’s what friends do.”

That was Kara’s response to anything. But Lena had a more logical approach, “There’s no way we can even do it. There’s no way to get any other brooms than these. Madam Almieda would have to be there. It won’t work.”

 

Lena had been wrong and she found herself creeping out of the castle late at night with Kara by her side. When they got to the broom shed by the pitch where the Quidditch players' brooms were locked up, Kara stopped and looked at Lena. “It’s locked.”

“Of course it is, you didn’t have a plan for that?” Kara was sheepish, “I thought you’d know how to unlock it.”

“I mean, I do, but…” Lena trailed off, pulling her wand out and whispering, “Alohamora.”

The lock clicked open and Kara had to stifle a squeal, “That was so cool. I can’t believe you know magic I don’t.”

“My brother taught me a lot of it…before he…um…well I learned it before,” Lena struggled through. Every time she mentioned her brother, her solid composure cracked. Kara did not press but Lena did not like the look on her face. “Seriously, it’s nothing. Just forget about it.”

Lena pushed through the door only to get away from Kara’s gaze. It was dark, the moonlight coming through the high windows was not much help. “Lumos.”

The tip of Lena’s wand lit up, lighting up the room and Kara jumped up and down, “Soooooo cool.”

“Its easy. I can teach it to you. You're helping me with this so…” Lena did not know where she was going in the room but Kara pointed, “Over there.”

She found the wall that had the brooms locked up, names underneath each one. Lena studied the wall, “These aren’t very secure. I can’t believe the houses haven’t tried to sabotage each other.”

Kara waved a hand as she searched for her sister’s name, “Oh, it happens but they end up cursed. Madam Almieda put some spell on them. It’s nasty. Alex told me all about it.”

Lena reached out to stop Kara from grabbing her sister’s broom off the wall, “Don’t touch it then!”

Kara smiled, “I’ll be fine.”

“Not if you’re cursed,” Lena whispered. But when Kara touched the broom, it came off the wall without repercussions. “How’d you do that?”

Kara shrugged, “I don’t know. Some spells just don’t affect me. Its an energy they give off. I can feel them and I know when I’m safe.”

Lena narrowed her eyes, “That’s not possible.”

“I’m not lying. I don’t know how to explain it.” There was something Kara was not saying or maybe she just really couldn’t explain it. There was magic that would give off heat or smells but this was not one of those; Lena would have sensed it. “I don’t want to ride that broom.”

It was a Firebolt Supreme. Lena did not know much about brooms but the lettering on the handle was clear and it was a new model. Kara looked at her over the broom, “It wouldn't be safe for you to ride this broom. This is the newest model. Alex just got it this year because her old one sputtered out. It was a Shooting Star 2.0. They’re better than the original Shooting Stars but they don’t last long,” Kara turned red, “Sorry, I’m rambling. Alex tells me all this stuff and I try to remember because she likes to talk about it. Anyway, we’re getting you a school broom. They don’t actually spell those so we can just snag one.”

Kara grabbed one of the Cleansweeps the school still used, for Lena. As they exited the shed Lena spoke up, “Have you ever ridden that before?”

“No, Alex doesn’t let me touch it usually but I think this is a special occasion.” Lena stopped her, “Kara, I don’t think you should fly on something you’ve never tried before. That could be really dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine.” She sounded so sure that Lena could not find anything to argue with her about. 

They entered the open pitch. It wasn’t the training grounds because those were too close to the school; they’d get caught. The pitch could be seen from parts of the castle so they could possibly still be caught but they decided they’d stay low to the ground. Lena did not want to be too high as it were. Kara mounted and took off, taking a lap around the pitch. Her smile was so big that Lena could see it from the ground and she had no problem maneuvering the broom. It was fast and it made Lena nauseous to watch. She was surprised she ever made it through an actual Quidditch match.

Kara pulled up to a sudden stop beside her, “See, I told you I could do it.”

“Showing off is what it was,” Lena commented, “I’m still not sure we should be doing this.”

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Kara reached out and took her hand and Lena almost jumped in surprise, “I know you’re scared. We can take it small steps at a time, just enough so you can pass the exam.”

“We don’t even know what’s going to be on the exam,” Lena protested. She was stalling. She was terrified of getting on the broom. 

“I know for certain that you will have to get in the air so that includes mounting and taking off. Small steps, I promise.” There was something about Kara’s earnestness that made Lena always trust her.

Lena threw her leg over the broom and planted her feet. Kara nodded, “Not too hard, just enough to hover.”

Lena barely pushed against the ground, when she felt the broom wobble upward. Her knuckled were white. Kara pointed, “Look, you’re doing it.”

Kara hopped off her own broom and came closer to Lena. She did not touch Lena but she put her hands out. The effort was comfort enough. “Okay, so we know you can do that-”

“Kara, I can fly a broom. That’s not the problem. The problem is that I don’t want to. I’m afraid of flying.” Kara pursed her lips. It looked funny on the usually all-happy face, “Small steps, Lena.”

Lena rolled her eyes and set her focus back. “Okay, so I’m going to walk beside you and your going to lean forward a little bit. Take it slow. We won’t go any higher than this right now.”

The broom moved forward and Lena felt like her grip was going to break the handle. They went around the pitch like that, Kara uttering reassurances, “Good, good. Not too fast now. Don’t push it. Just hover. You’re feet can easily touch down if you need to.”

Lena did not. Kara’s presence calmed her…or maybe it was how near she was to the ground. When they made it around once, they stopped and Lena jumped off. Kara was smiling, “That was good. I think we should take it a little higher. Is that alright?”

“Do I have a choice? Lena questioned. “Not if you want to pass.”

Lena sighed and took off again. Kara did as well and urged her up a little bit more. Lena’s heart started to race and her hands were sweaty on the handle. Her hands were so tight and all the blood was rushing to her head, blacking out her vision. “No!,” she dropped to the ground, “I can’t do it.”

Kara rushed to her side, not knowing what happened. Lena had her head between her legs, trying to calm herself down. Kara was behind her, her arms wrapped around Lena. Lena found herself holding onto Kara’s hands. Her breathing slowed, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Tonight’s just not the time. You did really well, I promise, okay? Here, let’s get up,” she helped Lena to her feet and they walked silently back to the broom shed and up to the castle. 

“If I can’t fly, I can’t pass. I just have to accept that.” Kara shook her head, not accepting that logic, “No, you’re not giving up. You don’t have to like it and that’s okay. But, you have to try to get up a little higher. I’m sure there’s an obstacle in the course that’ll be higher than a foot off the ground. We just have to find a way to make it less scary.”

Lena stopped in the entrance hall to return to the dungeons. She had one eyebrow raised, “If both my feet aren’t on the ground, its scary.”

“I’m still going to help you and I think you’re going to let me.” Lena groaned, “Goodnight, Kara.”

She turned to return to the dormitory. Kara called behind her, forgetting they were not supposed to be out of bed, “Bye, Lena!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	9. Don't Say That Word

Maggie stood in the doorway, hands on her hips before she spotted Alex. “Wow, I have to give you props, Danvers.”

Alex was prepping her potions kit next to the cauldron. Maggie took the table next to her as she always did. “What did I do this time?”

Maggie leaned against the desk, “You have successfully avoided letting me discuss any part of my love life with you.”

“Because you don’t have a love life,” Alex muttered, organizing the ingredients for the potion written on the board. They were working on the Wide-Eye Potion. Maggie thought it would come in use when studying for finals. Alex would forbid it. Rules, rules, rules with that one.

“I’ll let you have that one, Danvers. But now I might,” Maggie was confident. Alex sighed, “Maggie, I don’t know what you want me to say, alright? You know I think nothing is going to come of it and repeating myself is just a waste of time.”

Maggie pursed her lips and huffed, turning to her desk, “Well, you could at least be a little happy for me, Danvers, but if its too much to ask…” 

Maggie trailed off and Alex let it go. They were at the same cauldron, as always, but they only spoke when sharing instructions. At the end of the class, they filled up a vial and set it on the front table. Working together, they always made at least satisfactory concoctions. 

Maggie pulled her bag over her shoulder. If Alex was going to act high and mighty about everything, she wanted nothing to do with her. That was not the Alex she was friends with and lately it seemed to be her new personality. Maggie left the dungeon classroom. She’d go back to the common room and relax before Quidditch practice. With the long break between matches, Danny was working them into the ground. Since they had enough recovery time, they could practice however long Danny thought necessary. She had actually said those words to the team. 

“Wait, Maggie!” Maggie stopped and turned around, hand on her hip. “I’m sorry.” 

“You’re always saying sorry about it.” It was cold but it was true. “I know, I know but I just don’t get why all this dating stuff is so important to you.”

“God, Danvers, I’m not thinking about marriage here. It’s not important. That’s the whole point. It’s fun. It’s a break from working all the time. Sometimes it’s nice to hang out with someone who doesn’t just want to talk about Quidditch.”

Maggie saw the hurt on Alex’s face when she said that. She regretted it but there was no taking it back now. “I just thought that was something we had in common.”

Alex pushed past her and Maggie reached out to grab on to her arms. “We do,” she succeeded in stopping Alex, “We do. Sometimes I just feel like that’s all we have in common. That’s how we became friends. Isn’t there more to this?”

“Yeah, we both like Quidditch so we became friends. Then we stayed friends because we liked each other. I didn’t realize there had to be more to it,” Alex pulled her arms away.

“We’re always fighting,” Maggie said simply. Alex nodded, “Maybe we just need some space from each other.”

“You took a lot of space from me without telling me last semester and look how that turned out.” Alex threw up her hands in frustration, “With more fighting! I’ll see you at practice.”

 

Kirsch took her aside in the changing room after practice. It had started to rain and Maggie was somehow full of mud despite being in the air. “Are you and Alex, okay?”

“Sure.”

“’Cause you weren’t okay last term and now you don’t seem fine either.” Maggie shrugged, “I thought we played well.”

“You guys always play well together. That’s not what I’m asking,” he lowered his voice even though they were out of range of the others, “Did something happen between you two? Like, you know, that type of -”

“Kirsch,” she cut him off with a grimace, “come on, man. No, we’re just friends. Besides, I never took Alex as that – well, as someone who plays for my team. This is about something else.”

“We’re not blind, you know? The whole team knows you guys started fighting when Chrissy joined. And you were all over her for a little while. Alex barely talked to you.” Maggie decided she had had enough and started taking off her practice robes. She slammed the wooden locker door into the one next to it, “I think you all need to stop making assumptions then. Someone’s gonna get hurt.”

Kirsch set his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, “I’m just trying to help. We’re all a team and we have to work together.”

“I can work with people I don’t like and right now, you’re coming close to hitting that mark,” Maggie intimidated

Kirsch put his hands up in defense, “I’m just trying to help. But you both better watch out because if Danny starts suspecting anything less that camaraderie on the pitch, you’re going to get an earful. I thought I’d try to get here first.”

He walked away. She felt bad for snapping at Kirsch because he only ever tried to help…and annoy Danny beyond her wits end. But he was a nice guy and never had done her any harm. Maggie disliked when people started snooping around in her private life. Relationships were private and as a far as Maggie was concerned, that included friendships. 

Danny clapped her back as she was leaving, “Good job tonight, Sawyer. Rest up, tomorrow’s gonna be a doozy.”

Maggie stopped, “Wait, I thought we didn’t have practice tomorrow.”

“We do now,” Danny said, “Is that a problem?”

“I mean, no, I just had a –“ Maggie caught Alex’s eye. Alex looked away fast but Maggie knew she was listening, “No, it’s not a problem. I’ll reschedule my thing.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Danny said before disappearing into the little office.

 

Maggie had overthought the situation entirely. She had thought their first date had gone very well; at least well enough for a second one. But when she broke the news that they would have to reschedule, she was met with anger. “Ugh, I should have known this would happen. It’s always Quidditch. Quidditch this. Quidditch that. I can’t believe you couldn’t just say you had plans already.”

Maggie did not know very well how to respond. It wasn’t like she could go up to Danny and be like, “Hey, by the way, I have a date tomorrow night so I’m skipping out on practice.” Danny would kick her ass for that kind of behavior. Quidditch was number one in Danny’s eyes and that’s all that mattered. You were there or you were not on the team. “It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s for the best. You’re already dating that sport. I wouldn’t want to come in between the two of you.”

Maggie stood overwhelmed in the corridor when she left. Conversations like these could never conveniently happen in quiet. It was always when she was surrounded by groups of people who could listen and give their opinion. “I don’t need to hear it, Donovan. And you can just shut your mouth while you’re at it, Vasquez.”

They were two Ravenclaw Quidditch players. At least they would have been on her side. She knew they were gonna say something along the lines of 'Quidditch before everything' but she didn’t need to hear it. _Damn, Danvers. Maybe we are more alike than I thought._

 

“I owe you an apology.” Alex did not want to have this conversation or even look at Maggie. She was busy with a potions essay that their Quidditch practices had caused her to wait until last minute to do. 

“I know you don’t want to hear about my non-existent love life as you refer to it as but just hear me out. I had to cancel on her because of Quidditch practice. She basically told me I was married to Quidditch anyway so I should forget about dating.”

That caused Alex to snap to attention, “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Maggie said, seeing the anger in Alex’s eyes, “That’s why I need to apologize. I called you out about being Quidditch-obsessed when I couldn’t see that that’s how I am too.”

“I am not Quidditch-obsessed. I’m dedicated,” Alex corrected. “Okay, well I am too. It was hypocritical because I didn’t see it in myself and so I owe you an apology for that. I’m sorry.”

“Did you finish your potions essay?” Maggie scoffed, “Uh, not even close.”

Alex charmed a chair to fly over and settle next to her, “Well, sit down. I have a question about the uses of dittany.”

If Alex changed the subject it meant she was forgiven and there was no need to dwell on it. Maggie sat down very quickly.

**********

James strolled over with his hands in his pocket, “So, what are you going to do about this one?”

As a member of the Gryffindor team, he was required, by his captain, to attend all matches and assess the rival teams. The match was Hufflepuff versus Slytherin and unfortunately, the entire school knew that Hufflepuff would lose. They were not strong this year and never worked well against the brute force of Slytherin as it were. 

Kara was full-blown Hufflepuff. She was covered in so much yellow that James had to avert his eyes. Lena was next to her wearing not nearly as much house colors as Kara sported. She had a silver serpent pinned to shirt. Kara looked at Lena and pouted, “That’s what we were talking about.”

“I have to sit with Slytherin.” If Lena sat with any other house at a game where Slytherin was playing, she would be more ostracized. Kara on the other hand could not sit with the Slytherins because Hufflepuff was playing. But Kara was begging her to sit with them. “But I thought we were going together.”

“Lena’s right, Kara. House loyalties,” James explained. Kara stomped her foot, “Its not fair. I just want to sit with my friend.”

Lena blamed being a Luthor. If she were not a Luthor maybe she would not be in Slytherin. But the Sorting Hat had said she was in Slytherin for a different reason than her brother so maybe that wouldn't have mattered anyway. 

“I have to go find the team. Danny wants us to all sit together. Nothing new,” he said before walking off. Danny was waiting out past the courtyard and waved him over. He jogged to catch up. “I know we aren’t playing either of these teams in the next match but it’ll still be good to know how they’ve changed through the year. And with the score, we’ll know what we have to do to win the Cup.”

 

The match was brutal. Hufflepuff had stepped up their game and took the onslaught a lot better than James imagined. Theo was running a team without skill, which made it easier for the Hufflepuff team, who were fast and agile. It was not as big of a blowout as James has thought but Hufflepuff still faced a whopping defeat. Theo took a victory lap around the field, one arm raised, whooping. Danny scowled at the sight. He was full of himself. James was not sure anyone on the Slytherin team liked him but he was their captain so they had no choice but to follow his lead.

Winn had found him in the stands before the game started and had sat behind the Gryffindor team. James thought he would be with Kara but Winn said he couldn't find her. “I think you have the Cup in your hands already. I mean the match with Ravenclaw will be pretty well matched. Hufflepuff is out of the running. The Slytherins came back with points to match Ravenclaw today but you guys are still in the lead. You’ve been undefeated all year.”

James put a hand on his shoulder, “I know but Danny refuses to let us think about it. She thinks we’ll throw the game if we’re too cocky.”

“But it’s in the bag,” Winn stated, “Make it easier on yourselves.”

“The game really does matter, Winn. We have to stop letting Ravenclaw score because they could swoop out of nowhere and if they score enough points, they could sweep the cup out from under us.” 

Winn looked annoyed, “I’m really good with probabilities and I did not account for that.”

James laughed. They started making their way down from the stands, “Do you think Kara’s mad at me?”

“Why?”

“The whole valentine situation,” Winn admitted, “I shouldn’t have done it. We’re friends and that’s fine.”

“Have you met Kara? She forgave you right away. She’s amazing and kind and of course she’s not mad at you. She’s probably just waiting for you to not be awkward around her,” James teased.

“I am perfectly normal around her, thank you very much,” Winn defended. James patted him on the back, “If you think so. Speak of the devil.”

Up ahead was Kara standing on the path alone. She seemed to be looking out for someone but in the opposite direction. “Kara. Hey, Kara!”

She turned and smiled to see James and Winn. “Hey guys!” She dove in for a group hug. James whispered to Winn, “See, I told you. She’s fine.”

“Waverly and I couldn’t find you in the stands. Did you not watch?” The look Kara had on her face meant she had a secret. James knew because Alex had pointed the look out to him many times before. She was right: Kara was very easy to read. James eyed her, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she said too fast.

“Well that’s a lie if I ever heard one,” Winn added. “Fine, I watched the game.”

“Where were you then? I thought we were supposed to sit together. I was ready to cheer on Hufflepuff,” Winn raised his little Hufflepuff flag in support. 

James looked around, “Wait, where’s Lena?”

“That’s who I’m waiting for. We were watching the game and then she said she’d be right back-” Kara instantly stopped talking when she realized she had said too much.

James cocked is head, “You watched the game together? How’d you manage that without booing?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Winn looked excited at the prospect. James just nodded. “I wanted to sit with Lena but you and her both said we couldn’t, which I just think is ridiculous, so I found another way.”

“And…” James said, leaning in for more. “And so I got us on the roof of the locker rooms and we watched from there.”

“Could you even see over the stands?” Kara shrugged, “We could see one end of the pitch really well but if people flew too low, we’d miss them on the other end. You’re not gonna tell are you.”

“How’d you get up there anyway?” Winn questioned. He looked at James for confirmation, “There’s nothing to climb on is there?”

Kara muttered, “Lena’s really good at spells.”

“That doesn’t answer the question-“ Kara interrupted, “Lena!”

Lena came over with a hint of a smile on her face. James reached a hand out to shake, “Nice win for your house.”

Lena waved him off, “That’s not necessary. I don’t really care about Quidditch. And it wasn’t a ‘nice’ win. It was a mess but no one said Slytherin was known for its class.”

James respected that she was self-aware of her house’s faults. Slytherin could be a menace but he also saw Danny and her vicious streaks could not be matched.

“You don’t like Quidditch? You’ve been to most of the games with us. Except when you two weren’t talking,” Winn commented. Lena gestured to Kara, “She’s persuasive.”

James laughed, “Kara’s persuasion is more of pouting until you get annoyed enough to do…crap, Kara, no-” but Kara was already walking away. Lena looked conflicted but quickly went after Kara. James hit himself on the forehead, “I can’t believe – I shouldn’t have said that.”

James knew enough about Kara to know that ‘annoy’ was a word that he should never use to describe her but he had just gone and said it without thinking. Alex was going to hear about it. He was going to get a mouth full from her. Even if he tried to make it up to Kara, it wasn’t going to be easy. Winn stared at him, “What just happened?”

“Whatever you do, Winn, never tell Kara Danvers she’s annoying. In any way.”

“Okaaaay, can I get a better explanation?” James sighed, “Its not for me to tell but just know, even though she's only eleven, she hasn't had it easy. All you have to know is not to say that word to her. It’ll save you a world of trouble.”

“I still don’t-,” Winn started but James had already begun to run away, “We’ll talk later, Winn! I have to find Alex and figure out a way to fix it!”

**********

Alex smacked his arm, “Unbelievable. Out of all the things you could have possibly said…” Alex rubbed at her temples, “We’ve been over this. I’m the only one who can say it because she knows that I don’t mean it. You on the other hand are not me. So therefore, you cannot say it. If I have to tell you a third time, I swear.”

“I’m not sure there could be a third time. She’ll probably never talk to me again,” James explained. Alex’s eyes widened, “Yeah, I know! Now I have to go deal with this.”

James tried to follow her but she put her hand on his chest, “No, no, no. You cannot help with this.”

“She should know I’m sorry.” Alex nodded, “And she will, but after I get her to the point where she’ll actually talk to you,” Alex pointed to the ground, “Stay.”

 

“Kara, I can’t go in there with you and I don’t want to leave you alone.” Alex stopped suddenly, around the corner from the corridor that led to the Hufflepuff dormitory entrance. She had not known how she was going to get in but she no longer needed to. 

She listened to the long pause with her back pushed up against the stone wall. Kara’s voice was sharp when she spoke. It was only like that when she was angry. Alex had expected a sad and upset Kara, not an indignant one. “You probably agree with him.”

The other girl’s response was immediate, “I don’t think you’re annoying.”

“Everyone else does,” Kara muttered. Kara must’ve kicked at the barrels in the hall because there was a muffled thump and an “ouch.”

“Well I don’t think you’re stupid either but that wasn’t smart,” there was a hint of humor in the other voice, “And that’s not true. James doesn’t think you’re annoying. That’s not what he was saying.”

“'Until you get annoyed enough’ sounds like I’m annoying someone. People don’t like being annoyed and then they don’t like me anymore.”

“He wasn’t using it that way. He just meant that eventually people give in because you’re persistent.”

“That’s not what he said.” Kara always had to argue. There was a loud sigh. “See, now I’m annoying you.”

“No, you’re not. You _never_ do,” the girl pleaded, “I’m just trying to find a way to explain it better. I don’t think I have one. But he was trying to apologize to you when you ran away. You just have to let him.”

“He doesn’t want me around. I’m annoying.”

“Kara, stop!” Alex peeked around the corner. Lena was standing her ground across from Kara who had just begun to cry. There was the sadness that was inevitable. “Please don’t cry. I already made you cry once and I regret that. But, you have to stop thinking like that. None of your friends think you’re annoying and James is one of them.”

“You don’t get it. You don’t know what happened. Everyone gets annoyed and they don’t want me around so they leave,” Kara’s voice cracked, “And that feeling makes me-”

Alex was nervous she was going to say something she could not take back. She almost interrupted but Lena stopped her mid-sentence. 

“Come here.” Lena held out her arms and pulled Kara into a hug.

“I thought you didn’t like hugs?” Kara asked while sniffling.

“I just wasn’t used to it. You give great hugs though. Who wouldn’t want one?” Lena said in reply. Kara stepped back and looked at Lena. “James is going to come find you, you know. And he’s not going to stop annoying you until you forgive him so you better.”

There was a hint of a smile on Kara’s face. “You said your friend Laura knows how to get in the kitchens.” Kara nodded. “Well, I bet she’d finally show you. The situation is drastic enough.”

Kara laughed and wiped away the tears on her cheeks, “Thanks, Lena. And if she does, I’ll show you.”

“You wouldn’t have a choice. Well, go on. I know you want to,” Lena gestured at the barrels and Kara tapped the sequence as quickly as she could before disappearing into the tunnel. 

Lena turned and Alex stepped out from around the corner. Lena was startled and took a step back. Alex stuffed her hands in her pocket, “We have a less of a problem now, Luthor.”

Lena nodded and tried to leave but Alex held her up. “I’m serious. Thank you for that. You were really good with her.”

“It’s easy when you know what it feels like,” Lena stated before leaving. Alex looked after her. A Luthor wouldn’t be her first choice for a friend for Kara but maybe she didn’t know this Luthor as well as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	10. Winning Hasn't Lost its Sweetness

“Winn, come on.” Winn looked at her like she was crazy, “No way! This is for the win. And I’m cheering for Ravenclaw and only Ravenclaw. My alliance has been decided.”

“Party pooper,” Kara stuck her tongue out. Waverly crossed her arms, “Fine, Winn. But James isn't going to be very happy and Alex is on the team and my sister is in Gryffindor so I guess you’ll be by yourself.”

“You do realize I have a whole house to go sit with, right? And James is totally fine with it. He understands loyalties.” Waverly rolled her eyes and took Kara by the arm, “Let’s go.”

“Did Wynonna come today?” Kara asked. Waverly laughed, “Yeah, despite her acting like she’s distant about Quidditch, she isn’t. And Dolls is the captain of the Ravenclaw team. She wouldn’t miss it.”

Waverly bumped into someone, “Oof, sorry,” she looked up to find a sulking Doc, “Hey Doc, what are you doing?”

“I’ve just come to participate in the school spirit.” Waverly eyed him, “That doesn’t sound like you. Don’t lie. Wynonna already told me that you two aren’t talking,” her voice softened, “It’ll work out. She needs you too much.”

“It’s been months and she’s still giving me the silent treatment,” Doc adjusted his hat.

“Yeeeeaaaahhh, Wynonna can hold a grudge. It’s one of her top skills.” Doc then set his eyes on Lena who had been trailing behind Kara. She was not as good of friends with Waverly as Kara was and she never knew what to talk to her about. “Ah, the black sheep of Slytherin.”

“Do not talk to her like that,” Kara growled. Lena whispered, “It’s fine Kara.”

Doc’s eyes widened, “Oh, I meant no offense,” he reached a hand out to Lena, “We haven’t had the pleasure.”

Lena awkwardly shook his hand. “I know all about being the odd one out. You’re in good hands with Miss Waverly here.”

“I can take care of myself thank you,” Lena commented. She did not need Waverly’s help; Carmilla’s on the other hand was welcomed. “Well, we’re going to find Wynonna actually so…”

“May I join you?” Waverly shrugged, “It's your funeral.”

Doc tipped his hat and followed the three girls. “Lena, you haven’t met my sister yet. I think you’ll like her.”

The question Lena had was whether Waverly’s sister would like her. That was always the question. 

Wynonna pulled Waverly into a bear hug when they approached and entirely ignored Doc. “Wynonna, this is our friend Lena.”

Wynonna’s face turned into something of skepticism but she didn't say anything rude. Waverly let out a breath, relieved. Her sister could be abrasive at the best of times. “How’s Dolls?”

Kara and Lena settled onto the bench. Kara was looking out across the field as the teams warmed up, trying to pick out her sister; it wasn’t hard. Her and Maggie always raced each other around the pitch before games until Danny told them enough was enough. Lena was just staring, not really looking at anything. Quidditch was fine but she only came because of Kara. Doc sat down beside her and she moved closer to Kara. He creeped her out with his old-fashioned speech pattern. And no sixteen year old should be able to grow that kind of mustache; she figured he had had the help of magic. It gave an odd juxtaposition to his youthful face.

“He’s only been talking nonstop Quidditch since the last match. I’ve wanted my brain to explode more than usual. I can barely hang out with him without throwing myself out a window.” Doc grunted. “But at least when he’s talking about Quidditch, he’s not out to ruin my life.”

“Wynonna, please, I would-”

“Did you hear something, Waverly?” Waverly kept silent. She mouthed “I’m sorry” at Kara and Lena who were looking very uncomfortable.

Laura showed up right in the nick of time, “Hey, guys!” she sat down, her arms full of snacks, “Do you want some?”

Kara grabbed for the chocoballs. She shoved a few in her mouth before realizing everyone was staring.

“Oh, uh, did somebody else want any?” she said with a full mouth, holding out the bag.

Everyone shook their heads and Laura passed out the rest of them. Waverly took crystalized pineapple for herself and Wynonna. The was the favorite candy of the whole magical side of the Earp family. Lena refused to take anything and Kara nudged her with the chocoballs. Lena kind of smiled and grabbed one. Laura and Doc never met but she still offered something to him. Wynonna pulled Laura’s hand back, “No, he doesn’t deserve any.”

Laura looked confused. Doc drew his own hand back, “Wynonna here has a grudge against me. It would best to listen to her as it were.”

“Where’s Perry?” Kara asked.

“She’s sitting with the Ravenclaws to cheer on Laf,” Laura explained.

 

The game was a different kind of brutal from the last one. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were rivals in the skill department and played with grace and order. The score was close and Gryffindor needed to score at least fifty more points before they caught the snitch if they wanted to win the cup. Laura pointed, “Looks like Danny called for a timeout.”

Down on the pitch Danny had the team in a huddle. Chrissy spoke up as soon as she landed, “I had an eye on the snitch.”

“I had to call you off. Keep an eye on it. Create a diversion. I don’t think Dolls has seen it yet. He’s too busy calling maneuvers. Don’t catch it until I signal.” Chrissy nodded, her jaw set tight. “Everyone else, just keep playing as we have been but we have to stop them from scoring. The sooner we score, the better chance Chrissy has of catching the snitch before Dolls.”

The whistle was blown to signal the end of the timeout and they took off into the sky again. 

“GO ALEX!” Kara shouted as loud as she could. Her voice disappeared amidst the yelling of the crowded stands. Alex would never have heard it even if she had been listening. She had tuned out the crowd, drawing silence upon herself as she concentrated. Maggie didn’t try for a high-five; she only nodded seriously. Danny got the quaffle for Gryffindor to start the match off again. The student on the microphone was not the usual announcer, “These two teams are down to the nitty gritty now, folks. If Gryffindor can only hold on a little bit longer, they may be able to secure the House Cup for the third year in a row!”

Danny scored right at that moment. Dolls flew over to get his team back in focus. Mel hit a bludger that Lafontaine was too slow to intercept and Donovan swerved, allowing Maggie to swoop in and pull the quaffle from his grasp when he was preoccupied with saving his own butt. Maggie was fast and her Nimbus Gen 4 helped. She was a streak on the pitch. Alex would be fouled for playing chicken with the Keeper so instead she played chicken with the chaser who was trying to block Maggie’s path. Maggie thought she was going to run right into the other player but the Ravenclaw pulled away in the nick of time and Maggie had a clear shot as long as the keeper missed. Maggie faked right and threw left, the quaffle soared through the hoop. 

James whooped on the other side of the field. But they weren’t done yet and Alex did not see Chrissy anywhere. Chrissy had seen the snitch and lost it a couple times but Dolls, as Danny had suggested, was much busier watching his team than watching for the snitch. She was flying in the woodwork beneath the stands, the golden ball fluttering about. It seemed to be waiting just for her to catch it. The only problem was that she could not see Danny’s signal if she stayed down there. But if she waited to hear one more – and there it went! The snitch changed course and flew straight up, right at Dolls who saw it this time. A smile came over his face and he took off. They were flying side by side. If Dolls caught the snitch, Ravenclaw won the cup. If Chrissy caught the snitch they tied. 

Someone scored. Chrissy did not wait to figure out who had done it. If Gryffindor was going to lose, she was going to catch the snitch. She leaned forward a little bit farther on her broom and it inched in front of Dolls, giving her enough leverage to bump him out of the way. He only swerved a little; he was a pretty big guy. But the swerve took him off course and Chrissy’s hand closed around the snitch, the wings coming to a stop. 

All of a sudden, another player collided with her and almost knocked her from her broom. When she steadied herself, ready to yell, she found Kirsch trying to hug her from his own broom, “WE DID IT! WE WON THE CUP!”

Dolls was wringing his broom on the ground; a scowl so pronounced, Wynonna could see it in the stands. “Ooooh, I am not gonna be able to gloat about this one. He might kill me. I better go wait for him. See ya later, Waves.”

She pushed past the group and through the crowd. It was slow going but she made it to the changing room the Ravenclaws were in. She waited outside, each team member exiting with a hung head. It did not take them long; Dolls must not have had anything to say. When the sixth member had left and Dolls still had not appeared, Wynonna ducked inside. 

He was sitting on the bench with his head between his hands. He lifted it up when he heard her enter. He groaned, “I don’t need to hear it, Wynonna.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything. I know better.”

He smacked the bench next to him, “I can’t believe I let a first year player beat me to the snitch. We were so close, Wynonna, so close. We could’ve won if I had just been a little faster.”

“Dude, you can’t blame it all on yourself. If your chasers had scored another point, you wouldn’t have won the game but you would have won the cup.”

“But we didn’t and I’m captain so that’s on me.” Wynonna reached out but thought better of it, “You have another year.”

“And that’s it, Wynonna,” he looked at her intensely, even for Dolls, “I get one more shot and if I throw it next year, I’m done. I never won a cup.”

“Gryffindor has a solid team and no one’s leaving. But so do you. You’ll have to train harder.” He gave her a look, “You’re always telling me to stop worrying about Quidditch.”

“That’s when we’re hanging out and you won’t shut up about it. You should definitely worry about Quidditch at all other times.” He glared at her and she looked at her feet, “Sorry.”

He didn’t say anything else. “Look, I don’t know what to say, Dolls. At this point you just have to start thinking about next year. Stop wallowing in what you can’t fix.”

“I don’t wallow,” he grunted. Wynonna scoffed, “Oh, you are the biggest wallower I have ever seen.”

“No I’m not.” Wynonna gestured at him, “What do you call this?”

“Excusable grief over a Quidditch Cup loss.” Wynonna shook her head, “No, this is wallowing. Because you have yet to think about your team. You haven’t said how they were doing and with how fast they all left, I’m sure you didn’t ask them. This is self-pity. You want to win so you have a Quidditch Cup, not so Ravenclaw has a Quidditch Cup.”

He was indignant for a moment but folded, “When did you become so observant?” 

She gently slapped his arm, “I’m always observant.”

Dolls scoffed, “Now it's my turn for disbelief.”

Wynonna stood, “Get changed and let’s go.”

“Fine.” She went to leave to give him privacy, “Oh and don’t think you’re missing the celebration feast. I don’t care if you throw up at the sight of the amount of red and gold there will be. I probably will. You are going because otherwise you're a sore loser and people are gonna dislike you more than they already do.”

“People don’t dislike-”

“Well…some aren’t particularly fans so just fix yourself up nice and pretty so we can get going,” Wynonna hurried him.

**********

The entirety of the Gryffindor team was still in their robes being pummeled by other students. Kirsch and Chrissy were up on one of the tables in the Great Hall, dancing. Danny was shaking hands and thanking people for their congratulations, professional as always when wearing her captain robes. Mel was giving out high-fives left and right and pumping her broom in the air. Maggie was sitting slightly out of the hubbub, watching as Alex was slapped on the back a thousand times. She scored the winning goal, it was only to be expected.

Eventually she escaped them all and dropped into the seat next to Maggie. She knocked their shoulders together and Maggie smiled. “Fantastic goal.”

Alex was giving her a look that Maggie normally did not see on her friend’s face. She looked intrigued. She looked joyful. And she looked as if she has just come to a realization. “Thanks, Sawyer.”

Maggie cocked her head. The look was familiar to her. Not on Alex. On Alex it was misplaced. Alex’s eyebrows drew together and she smirked, “What?”

Maggie took a few seconds but shook her head, “Nothin’. Great season, Danvers.”

Alex threw her arm around Maggie and gave her a side hug just as she was hit by a train of a tiny Hufflepuff. She slid into Maggie who was pushed from the seat as Kara tackled her. Someone tried to help her up and her first instinct was to pull her arm away. Looking up she saw a defensive Lena Luthor. “I can do it myself.”

“Little Danvers, next time-” and then it was her turn for a Kara hug that always made it feel like the breath was being squeezed from her lungs. She took a deep breath when Kara let go, “Little Danvers, next time give some warning.”

“She took you out,” Alex was laughing. Maggie scrunched her nose up, “Like you were spared.”

“I didn’t end up on the floor.” Kara was jumping around, “That was so awesome! That was great! You were so awesome when you,” Kara did a move, “and then you…”

Maggie let her replay the match and sat down again. She was looking at Lena Luthor. They had never met but she could tell a Luthor from a mile away. Alex had mentioned that she was Kara’s friend but Maggie was waiting to pass her own judgment.

Alex was looking at Maggie before it dawned on her, “You two haven’t officially met. Lena this is Maggie. Maggie this is Lena.”

Maggie said “I got that” that at the same time Lena said “Nice to meet you.”

“This has started off great,” Alex commented so Kara would not hear her. Lena turned toward Alex, “It was a great game. I’m glad you won.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows at that but refrained from commenting. It would have been snarky and uncalled for and Alex had already given her the tone that meant “don’t do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing.”

“For goodness sake, everyone just sit down already.” Lena hesitated, “Am I allowed to -?” she motioned at the Gryffidnor table.

Alex smiled kindly. She was not entirely warmed up to Lena but she was trying, “I don’t think anyone is going to be paying any attention today. And besides, I see Kara got you with the warpaint.” Lena rubbed at her cheeks; she thought she had gotten it all off. “That red and gold fits right in.”

It was as close as anyone besides Kara had come to telling her she belonged. So when Kara pulled her down on the bench beside her, she went willingly. Maggie jumped the table to sit across from them.

There was fluttering and Gryffindor banners hung from the walls all around the Great Hall. There was much uproar from the students, the loudest being the Gryffindors and the loudest of all being Kirsch who had his hands cupped around his mouth and was hollering like a banshee. SJ had jumped up on the table and to Kirsch’s surprise, grabbed his face and kissed him. He only hesitated slightly before picking her up and twirling her around. 

Danny smacked him and he hopped from the table, a huge, misty grin on his face. Chrissy followed suit and SJ skipped back to her friends with a red face. They were awaiting a speech but the headmaster did not look to be in attendance, which was weird for any of the big feasts. Instead of a speech, there was a clap and the tables filled. Music filled the hall as well and someone was setting off sparklers that flew into the hanging candles and stayed, spraying sparks but not harming anyone. 

The Quidditch Cup sat on a pedestal at the front of the room. Kirsch and Danny both walked up to it. Kirsch got down on one knee and held his hands out as if bowing to the golden chalice. Danny rolled her eyes but could not keep from smiling. It looked as if Kirsch was offering it up for the taking, which was exactly what he was doing. She grabbed it by one of the handles and swung it into the air. The school went wild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	11. Avoid Exploding Pineapples

“Do you feel overwhelmed? Because I feel overwhelmed.” Winn and Laura almost said the exact same sentence at the same time and everyone at the study table slowly turned their heads to look at them. They were looking at each other and after a small pause, burst out into laughter. Laf patted Laura on the back, “Okay, I think someone needs some sleep.”

“Laura, there are only two days left. You’ve made it over halfway through. You’re doing great. And Winn, this is your first year. It’s normal to feel nervous,” Perry assured.

“Wynonna told me that one time, someone got so nervous that they blew up the pineapple they were trying to make waltz.” Winn’s eyes grew wide and everyone gave Waverly the ‘that’s not helpful’ look and she dropped her head, “So…don’t do that.”

“I wasn’t even worried about Charms but NOW I am!” Winn cried. Waverly looked sheepish, “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Winn, if anyone makes their pineapple explode, it’ll be me,” Kara offered in support. Winn was pulling at his hair, “I didn’t even know it was going to include a pineapple.”

Waverly shrugged, “That’s just what Wynonna told me.”

“For me it was an apple.”

“I had a blueberry. I stinkin’ blueberry.”

“It changes every year, Winn,” Kirsch said, his arm around SJ, “But you pretty much just have to make the thing comes to life.”

Perry shook her head, “No, you can’t make anything come to life. That’s not possible even with magic. You can animate it. That’s what it’s called.”

Kirsch just smiled, “Whatever. But that’s what you have to do. Now that you know, you can be less stressed.”

“We really shouldn’t be telling them this. It’s technically cheating,” Perry worried. Lafontaine gasped, “Perry, the soon to be prefect…cheating. Why I never!”

That sent everyone laughing. Winn slammed his book shut, “I’m done. I can’t do it anymore. Whatever happens, happens.”

Lafontaine gave him a high-five, “That’s the way to look at it. But for future reference, if you ever need help with anything, I got you. I know one or two things about Transfiguration and Potions that would blow your mind.”

“Lafontaine, you better not teach that boy anything you’ve made up.”

“Okay, Perry,” they said but winked at Winn. Danny was looking at Kara as she usually did, thinking about what was different about her. There was always something. It was as if she could feel her aura and something about it was slightly off from everyone else’s. 

“Kara? Where’s the L - where’s Lena?” Danny had to bite back her first instinct to insult. Kara didn’t seem to notice the slip up, “Oh, I think she’s studying with Carmilla. That’s what she’s been doing mostly. I’m not much help if she needs it. She already knows so much more than me. She should probably be tutoring me.”

Danny looked to Kirsch who shared her look. No one else seemed to react. It was a very old name, Karnstein. But Danny was well aware. When your parents were involved in the old wizarding wars, there was information that didn’t seem important to other people that was very much important to you. Kirsch was born into a Muggle family but Danny had mentioned it to him before. All the old pureblood families were connected by some event, mostly of the unfortunate variety. And a Luthor hanging around a Karnstein did not result in any good in Danny’s mind.

“She didn’t invite you along?” Laura questioned, “You guys seem pretty inseparable.”

Kara shrugged, “Carmilla doesn’t like me.”

Waverly got ready for another one of Kara’s episodes. Alex had asked her to watch out for anything that could inflame a situation and this seemed to be along the lines of what made Kara go off. This time she seemed fine; she continued reading a passage out of her potions notes. “Why?”

“Lena said Carmilla doesn’t like anyone so it’s nothing personal. Except I think she’d dislike me less if I wasn’t so happy all the time. She seems quiet and a little sad,” Kara explained, “But Lena is happy with her so I’m glad she has someone. I’m glad they both do.”

“Hey, Winn. Bud,” Lafontaine was calling from the opposite end of the table. Winn had apparently fallen asleep on top of his books. Lafontaine shook him awake. “Let’s go back to the dormitory. Come on.”

Lafontaine said goodbye to the table and put their arm around Winn, leading him away.

“Bye, Winn!” Kara called after him. He waved half-heartedly, his eyes halfway closed.

“How Winn looks is how I feel,” Laura said. Perry nodded, “I believe Lafontaine said you both needed some sleep. You should go.”

Laura looked to Kara and Waverly, “Do you guys want to walk with me?”

Waverly agreed but Kara did not. “I actually have somewhere I need to be and I’m running late so I should get going. I’ll see you later.”

Waverly gave her a weird look and Laura asked, “Do you know…?”

“She didn’t say anything before,” Waverly responded.

Kara was in fact sneaking out of the castle again to meet Lena at the Quidditch pitch. It was the last time they’d be able to practice before their exam the next day. Lena had made a lot of progress. She was still very much afraid of flying but they had been moving in slow increments and she seemed to become more comfortable with the height as they practiced. She was not fast and Madam Almierda might take off points for that but if she wasn’t being sent into hyperventilating fits, Kara thought it was good enough. 

Lena was already waiting for her. Kara retrieved the brooms and they got to it. Lena actually laughed a little bit when they were flying and the small hint of joy brought a ton of joy to Kara. She loved sharing the feeling of flying with people. It was exhilarating. She was glad she got to share it with her best friend, even if it had taken weeks for her to get comfortable.

Lena landed and Kara landed right behind her, “Lena, that was so good!”

“Thanks,” it was dry and she cleared her throat, “Seriously, thank you. So much. I don’t know how to repay you for your help.”

Kara’s eyebrows scrunched up, “Lena, we’re friends. That’s what we do. You don’t have to repay me for anything.”

Lena took her hands, “This was a huge thing you helped me with. I might not get an O, but I know I’ll pass. I wouldn’t have before. And I do remember that I have something to teach you now.”

Kara looked confused. “Just come on. Let’s put these away.”

Inside the broom shed, Lena sat down on the floor and Kara followed suit. “Okay, so take out your wand.”

Kara whipped it out of the side of her pants. Lena kept hers in a wand holster that Lex had given to her on her birthday one year. He had told her to keep it until she could use it. He said all Luthor’s needed to carry their wands with class. The case had an “L” on it. Lena usually turned it backwards so no one could see the engraving.

“Okay so it’s the wand-lighting charm -”

“Oh yeah! I forgot!” Kara exclaimed, smiling. Lena smiled back, “Yeah, I told you I would teach it to you. It’s simple. The incantation is Lumos.”

Kara repeated it back. “Yes, and you just make a small circle in the air with your wand, like this.”

Lena did the movement and said Lumos and the end of her wand began to glow. Kara stuck her wand out and did the exact same thing. The light sputtered and went out. 

“That happens sometimes. Just concentrate. If you forget you're doing it, the light will go out. And concentration is important so you don’t set your wand alight. That’s not really repairable.”

“Why is all magic like that?” Lean cocked her head, “Like what?”

“Like I’m cool but one small slip and you’ve blown up a house.” Lena laughed, making Kara smile. Lena rarely ever laughed and Kara liked the sound of it. “Magic needs to have balance. Otherwise it could be very dangerous.”

“I think setting your wand on fire is very dangerous,” Kara said. It was completely innocent as if there was nothing worse. But the wizarding world had lived through worse. Lena pointed at her, “Try again.”

And this time when Kara said, “Lumos,” the wand sputtered but stayed on, glowing just as brightly as Lena’s.

Lena clapped, “Well done.”

Kara was staring at the light with wide eyes, “This is so cool.” 

Lena pushed Kara’s wand hand down so the light wasn’t directly in her eyes, “Are you trying to blind yourself?”

“Okay, but how do I put it out?”

“Just say Nox.” Lena’s wand extinguished. This time Kara did it on the first try, “That one’s easier.”

“It’s late,” Lena stated, “We should go back. We have exams tomorrow.”

Kara yawned in agreement. When Lena said goodnight to her in the entryway of the castle Kara hugged her, “I’m excited for your flying exam. I can’t wait to see you crush it.”

“I have you to thank for that. Goodnight, Kara.”

**********

Waverly had fallen asleep in one of the common room chairs, her Charms book splayed open on her chest. She had walked back with Laura but while the other girl went to bed, she had stayed up to do a little more reading before the exam. A refresher.

The fire was still burning when she heard scuffling in the passageway. She peeked over the arm of the couch that she was lying on to see two figures climb out of the entryway. They seemed to be arguing. It was a girl and a boy.

Waverly sat up, trying to make noise so they would realize they weren't alone. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. They both flipped their heads around to find the source of the noise and the girl spoke, "Oh...sorry."

Waverly didn't know what to say. The clock on the wall read two o'clock; it was way past curfew for anyone. "It's okay?"

"Well, I'm just going -" the boy, whom Waverly realized was Mon-El, tried to walk off but the girl pulled him back. "If I catch you one more time, I'm reporting you."

"You were out, too. You'll get in just as much trouble."

"Not to the school. To Spinnet. She'll love to hear it."

"You're such a buzz kill, Nicole." Waverly sat up straighter at the sound of that name. She had seen Nicole around the common room and the girl always smiled at her and nodded her head in acknowledgement but they never spoke. Waverly didn't even know what to say to her.

Mon-El took off to the boy's dormitory and Nicole stepped out of the shadows, "Sorry to interrupt your studying."

"Oh no," Waverly closed the book, "I had fallen asleep on it anyway."

And awkward silence hung in the air. "I promise I'm not actually mean. Mon-El isn't the easiest person to get along with and somehow I ended up being his keeper. I'm always tracking him down and making sure he's following the rules. It's frustrating."

"Yeah, I've noticed that about him." Nicole cocked her head to the side and Waverly went on, "He always tries to get my friend, Kara, and I to hang out with him. He's persistent."

"Annoying," Nicole said at the same time and they both laughed. Nicole reached out a hand, "Nicole."

Waverly shook it, "Waverly."

"It's nice to meet you, Waverly." Nicole's smile was sweet and then a look of recognition crossed her face. "Wait. Waverly? Waverly Earp?"

"Yes," Waverly answered, hesitantly, "That's me. But how did you -?"

"You're sister has quite the reputation. And I like to know who's who around this place."

Waverly didn't know whether to feel threatened or protected. She also wasn't sure what kind of "reputation" her sister had in Nicole's eyes. Nicole leaned against the back of a chair, "We should hang out. Maybe after exams this week or -"

"Oh, I'd love to - like to," Waverly stumbled over the words, she was speaking so fast, "but I have plans. I'm a planner!"

She collected her books and stood up, still muttering, "I like to know what I'm doing at least two, three days in advance."

Nicole just stared at her amused while Waverly tried to figure out how to salvage the conversation. She wasn't really sure why she had reacted so vehemently against hanging out with Nicole. "Maybe another time."

Nicole nodded, her smile slightly warped, "I'll see you next year, Waverly."

Nicole disappeared into the girl's dormitories and Waverly stood, clutching the book to her chest, trying to figure out what all her floundering was about. 

**********

“Did you even study at all?” Dolls questioned her. Wynonna rolled her eyes and slumped down by the tree, next to him, “Studying is not my forte.”

“I’m sure you should have failed everything by now.” Wynonna smacked him, “Way to be a supportive friend. Oh, that’s right, I forgot who I was talking to.”

“Ouch,” Dolls said in reply to the physical slap and the verbal blow. “Dude, I make up all the points in the practical exams. I’m really good at wingin’ it.”

Wynonna sighed loudly, “But, I’m done now! No more talk of exams. We are free. How does it feel?”

“Like a rainbow, sunshine day,” Dolls answered dryly. Wynonna did not let it get her down, “That’s the spirit. Now come on. Let’s go sneak and watch the first years fall on their asses during their flying exam.”

Dolls begrudgingly agreed and stood up. He followed her away from the lake, “Wynonna, they’ve been practicing for a year. I’m sure they can all handle a broom now.”

She had a devilish smile on her face, “Not if I have anything to do with it.”

She took off and Dolls immediately ran after her, “No, Wynonna! No! I am a prefect! Wynonna!”

She was paying him no heed. “Wynonna! You are not cursing the first years’ brooms! Wynonna! Get back here!”

 

Dolls had eventually wrestled the wand out of Wynonna’s hand and it had put them in a very precarious position against one of the colonnades. He had paused, looking at her for a second. She wasn’t moving but her one eyebrow was raised. It was the look she had whenever she was unsure of something. Dolls cleared his throat and pulled himself out of it. He pointed her wand at her, “You will get this back when their exam is over.”

“Whatever you say,” she mocked. 

The first years were lined up on one side of the courtyard; the obstacle course at the other. Dolls had passed with flying colors and had been recommended to the Quidditch team. He had been flying for as long as he could remember. His dad had got him a mini-broom for his third birthday. He had not been able to stay on the ground since. 

Dolls had to cover Wynonna’s mouth when it was Waverly’s turn. It was technically an exam and they should not have been spying on it. Wynonna was ready to cheer Waverly on. She glared at him but watched silently. Waverly passed easily. Dolls thought she was a decent flier. When she landed, she patted a small Ravenclaw boy on the back. Dolls took interest in this first year as a future Quidditch player. But, it was quite obvious that even though he passed the exam, that Ravenclaw would not ever be playing Quidditch. He was too wobbly and unsure of himself on a broom.

Wynonna pointed, “That’s Waverly’s friend. Her sister is a chaser for Gryffindor.”

Dolls looked up and watched. As captain, he was always ahead of the game on who may or may not be on the other teams in the future. If her sister played, it was possible she would too. 

His mouth dropped open a little bit and even Wynonna was impressed. Kara flew better than her sister. She used the school broom like it was a top of line model. If she were on the Hufflepuff team, she would be a force to reckon with. “I really hope she doesn’t try out.”

Wynonna made a pouty face, “Awww, is big, scary, Dolls afraid of a little first year?”

He was too captivated by the girl’s flying skills to really care about Wynonna’s insult. He pointed, “You’re seeing this right. She’s incredible. Any team would have a time with that one.”

“You didn’t say anything about Waverly,” Wynonna cornered him. 

“She was fine but I already know she doesn’t want to play Quidditch so leave me alone,” Dolls responded. “Wow, about my own sister, too.”

“Shut up, Wynonna. You fell off your broom in the middle of the exam and failed. Don’t even start.” Wynonna looked deeply offended, “I can’t believe you brought that up again. That hurts, Dolls.”

Meanwhile, Kara had breezed through. If there were a grade above an O, she would have received it. She landed on the ground and was congratulated. 

Lena was hanging off in the back of the group. She had hoped that everyone would leave after their run of the course but she had been mistaken. They all stayed around to watch everyone else. Kara had just gone and had been spectacular but Lena had not expected anything less. 

Kara found her staring intently at her broom and muttering assurances to herself. She wrapped her into a hug immediately, “You’ve got this. Just like we practiced. Just imagine I’m up there with you.”

Lena nodded. She couldn’t really speak; the nerves were taking over and her fear was locking her muscles. “Lena Luthor!”

The class quieted. Even after an entire year, people still reacted to her name the same way. Kara squeezed her hand but her head was still hung when she walked through the class. “Okay, mount your broom.”

She did so but froze. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t lift off. Her vision was going hazy. She thought maybe she could get out of the exam if she had to go to the infirmary. “Just give me a second.”

And then there was a hand on top of hers, “Lena?”

Kara’s voice blew away the haze and Lena turned to see her. She was smiling like always. The smile that said, “I believe in you.” Lena almost laughed when those were the next words out of Kara’s mouth, “I believe in you, Lena. You went higher than this last time.”

“But you were there to stop me from falling.”

“Is everything alright, girls?” their professor asked. Kara had an idea and turned to the instructor, “She’s afraid of heights.”

“I know and I wish there was something else I could do but this is the exam. I have to fail you if you don’t participate. I’ll be in the air like I have been with everyone else if anything goes wrong.” Lena nodded but Kara continued, “I know but can I get on a broom? I won’t fly with her or anything. I’ll be there in case. She just needs a safety net and I’m her friend. She trusts me.”

“You’re not in charge of her well-being, Kara. I am. It’s my job to be up there with her, not yours.” Kara did not want to fight with their professor but she thought the woman was being ridiculous. If she could help, why wasn’t she allowed to? “It’s my job as her friend. I’m just there for support.”

“Please, professor,” Lena said. She would feel better with Kara there as she had been during all of their extra training. The professor sighed, “Fine. But no interfering with the exam.”

“Of course not!” Kara grabbed a broom. “You ready?”

Lena shrugged, “No, but here we go.”

With Kara by her side, she was able to get off the ground. And with a reassuring smile and a, “You’ve got this,” Lena’s resolve settled. She had done this before. She could do it now.

It was not pretty in the slightest but Lena made it through. Kara almost knocked her to the ground with the hug she gave her. “Ouch, not too tight, Kara.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “See, I knew you could do it.”

“Thanks. You know, for being there for me. It did help.” Kara shook her head, “I didn’t do anything. It was all you.”

Their professor came over, “Well Lena, you passed. You’re official grade with come with the rest. But, you never have to get on a broom again.” 

“Thank goodness for that,” Lena was relieved. She dropped the broom on the ground instantly, thinking there really would never be another need for her to be on a broom if she could help. Really, there was no reason she would ever need to fly in any capacity. Just the thought made her sick to her stomach.

Waverly and Winn came over. Neither of them hugged Lena. She wouldn’t have minded but they were unsure, not knowing her as well as Kara. 

“You did really well, Lena,” Waverly said. Lena scoffed, “I know I didn’t. You don’t have to pretend.”

“No, I mean it. Obviously you weren’t on Kara's level” - Kara blushed - “but you were did better than you usually do. You did better than Winn.”

“Hey!” Winn shouted, “No, she didn’t.”

“Winn, Lena didn’t almost fall of her broom. You did.” Winn scowled, “Lena almost didn’t get off the ground.”

Lena laughed a little bit. She wasn't mad; she knew she was no good at flying, “Winn can have this one. I’m sure he did better than I did.”

“We have a couple hours until the feast. Do you want to do anything?” Kara asked them all.

“I think I should go see, Carmilla. We do leave tomorrow and I should say goodbye.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Kara asked. She really wanted to spend the last night they had at Hogwarts with her best friends but Lena refused. “No, but I’ll find you at the feast.”

“We have to sit with our houses though,” Kara complained, “That’s so unfair.”

“Then I’ll see you after the feast, okay?” Kara was still pouty but assented. Lena went off and Winn spoke up, “Oh, I am going to eat so much at the end of term feast.”

Kara laughed, “Not more than me!”

Waverly looked between her two friends who had a running competition. Winn never won. “You guys are gonna make yourselves sick.”

“Maybe, but I’m still gonna win,” Kara stuck her tongue out at Winn and ran off. Waverly followed, missing her sister and Dolls who were still hidden behind a column, trying not to be caught. 

 

Ravenclaw may have lost the Quidditch Cup but they won the House cup and with the blue surrounding him, Winn came very close to beating Kara in their eating competition. But, she still came up the winner with pudding smeared across her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	12. Summer Has Nothing On Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! This is the end of this year at Hogwarts. I just wanted to make a note that though I'm continuing the story and I usually update every Sunday, I am traveling in France for the next 8 weeks and am not sure if I will have that same schedule. So, keep an eye out for updates but I don't know how frequently they will come. When my travels are over though, we'll get right back to the schedule. Thanks for your patience, for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it!! :)

“I have to say bye to you now.” Kara turned and saw Lena approaching, carrying her trunk and her snowy owl, Roulette. They had just walked through the stone archway to the Hogsmeade platform. The train had not even come yet. “What are you talking about?”

“My mother is going to be waiting for me when we get to King’s Cross. I’ll have to go right away,” Lena explained. “I’ve told you my family is not like yours. So just believe me.”

“But we have the whole train ride! Saying goodbye now seems weird,” Kara retorted. “Can’t we just wait until we’re almost there?”

Lena shook her head, “It’s not just that. I wanted to talk to you alone.”

She pulled Kara to the side, “You’ve made everything different, Kara Danvers. I know you don’t understand what I mean. But you really have. You’ve made coming here a little more bearable. You wanted to be my friend despite everyone else’s opinion of me. That was the greatest kindness I could have received. I never had any other friends aside from Lex. Thank you so much.”

“Lena, of course! I love being your friend. You’re my friend too,” Kara hung her head, “and I’d never really had many friends before. Alex was pretty much it. Everyone else thought I was weird or annoying. But now I’ve got Winn and Waverly and James and you.”

Kara’s bright smile almost blinded Lena, “Well I’m glad. I hate to tell you this but don’t write me this summer.”

“What?” Kara was offended. Lena had just told her how much being friends meant to her and then she did not want to hear from Kara at all over the holiday.

“I want you to write to me but you can’t. If my mother finds out, it won’t be pleasant. I don’t want her to ruin our friendship and that’s exactly what she’ll do. So, please, don’t send me letters.”

Kara felt tears coming on but she had to keep them at bay. Lena had tried to explain her family to Kara before. Kara never fully understood but she tried to just for Lena. If this was important to Lena, then she’d abide by the rule. She threw her arms around Lena, squeezing tight, “I can’t believe I’m not going to be able to talk to you or see you until September. That’s three months too long.”

Lena chuckled, “I think you’ll survive.”

Kara pulled back, “Oh, don’t be so sure!”

“Thank you again, Kara,” Lena said. Everything about it was sincere. 

A whistle blew and the train appeared in the distance. Kara grabbed onto her arm, Astro was peeking out of his spot in her pocket, “Let’s go so we can get a compartment.”

Lena turned and looked back at the castle one last time before boarding the train. It was not the safe haven it was for so many other people but it offered her some support she never received from Lillian. It had Kara, anyway.

**********

It was bittersweet. It always was. They were on platform 9 ¾ quarters. Parents were milling about, trying to find the kid that belonged to them. Kirsch had Laura in a bear hug, “Kirsch, I’m gonna see you all summer. You live down the street.”

He laughed, “I just like hugging my best friend, L. Leave me alone.”

He went in for a hug with Danny but thought better of it and shook her hand. She pointed at him, “You better train over the summer.”

“I live in a Muggle neighborhood. How am-”

“No excuses,” she said. Then she turned to Laura, “I’m gonna miss you, Laura. Remember to write. Maybe you can come stay with me for a few days.”

Laura lit up, “I would love that!”

“Lafontaine. Perry,” she nodded at them before whisking away, her red hair blowing in the steam from the train.

“I think I see your parents over there, Perr. We should get going. See ya, frosh.” Laura rolled her eyes at the nickname, “I’m not even a first year anymore. The nickname doesn’t work.”

“I’m not gonna stop calling you that,” Lafontaine shrugged. Perry pulled Laura into a hug and Kirsch right after, “Bye, guys. Write me all summer.”

They disappeared. Kirsch turned to Laura, “Is your dad coming to pick us up?”

“He has every year so I’m sure -” and right then Sherman Hollis appeared, “Laura!”

He pulled her into an even tighter hug than Kirsch's. It was suffocating. She had to push away, “Alright, alright, dad. I get it.”

He examined her. “Dad,” she laughed, “I’m perfectly fine. I didn’t get into any trouble.”

“That’s all thanks to me,” Kirsch saluted. Laura smacked his arm, “Liar.”

Laura’s father put his arm around her shoulders, “Come on you two, let’s get going.”

**********

Wynonna was standing with Waverly and Willa. Willa was ignoring them entirely and Wynonna was making rude faces at the back of her head. “Where’s Gus?”

Wynonna squeezed Waverly’s shoulders, “Don’t worry about it. She’ll be here.”

“She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago,” Willa snapped. 

“Cool it, Willa. She’ll get here in when she gets here.” Willa scowled, “I have things to do.”

“Like what? We just got out of school for the summer.” Willa turned, her hair almost whipping Wynonna in the face, “If it was any of your business, you’d already know about it.”

“Whatever that means,” Wynonna muttered. Waverly hated when her sisters fought but they always fought. They used to get along but when Willa went off to Hogwarts and Wynonna didn't get into Slytherin, the fighting started. It was even worse for Waverly. Willa had no respect for Hufflepuff so she no longer had any respect for her youngest sister. Not that she had before; Waverly had always been left out of everything. 

“Look,” Wynonna pointed, “I think that’s her now.”

Willa strutted off and Wynonna pushed Waverly forward, “I’m gonna go say bye to Doc and Dolls before they leave.”

“I’ll come with! Wait…you’re talking to Doc again?” Wynonna grimaced, “Well I’m not gonna see him all summer so I should at least tell him I hate him one more time. But you should go say bye to your friends.”

“Okay,” Waverly said and ran off. Wynonna found Dolls easily. “Wynonna, before you go, I need to tell you something.”

“Oh no, what type of Dolls talk is this?” He shook his head, “No, I’m being serious. I know I’m not so great with the whole feelings thing.”

“Not so great is an understatement.” 

“Will you just let me finish?” he sounded aggravated, “But, I saw what happened between you and Doc. And now you don’t talk. You’re one hell of a witch. And maybe he doesn’t need you but…” Dolls looked liked he didn’t want to finish the sentence, “Screw it, I need you.”

Wynonna had been waiting and waiting for him to admit his feelings and she threw herself into his arms, kissing him right in the middle of the platform. She heard someone clear their throat and she pulled back. “Shit.”

It was Doc, standing there watching them. He tipped his hat, “I was leaving but I came back to say goodbye.”

“Wait, Doc!” Wynonna called. He put a hand up, “No, Wynonna, there’s nothing you need to say. Have a good summer. You too, Dolls.”

Wynonna’s shoulders slumped and then Waverly was calling her and she was being pulled away from Dolls without being able to talk about the kiss. He smiled at her and waved. He mouthed something that she couldn’t make out and he soon disappeared behind a crowd of people. Waverly was looking at her weirdly, “Wynonna, are you okay?”

Wynonna shook her head, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

They came upon Gus and Willa who looked like she was about to murder Wynonna. Wynonna just threw her a disgusted look and brushed past.

**********

Winn was looking after James with a strange expression on his face, “Are you okay?”

He snapped out of it, “Yeah. I just haven’t met Lucy before and she came over to say bye to James. I didn’t know they talked much. He hasn’t said much.”

“Lena told me he likes her.” Winn pursed his lips, “Oh, he does?”

Kara shrugged, “I don’t know. That’s what Lena said.”

“Oh,” Winn responded, “Where is Lena anyway?”

“Her mother already took her home.” Winn looked affronted, “She didn’t even say goodbye.”

“She said it on the train, Winn.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the official goodbye.” Kara shrugged, not knowing how much Lena wanted anyone to know, “It was her official goodbye. Also, don’t send her letters okay?”

“That’s weird.”

“I know, but it’s not my thing to tell. Just make sure not to.” Winn nodded even though he still looked like Kara said something crazy, “Well, I’m definitely writing to you. And James. And Waverly.”

“You better! I can’t spend an entire summer without my friends. And Maggie comes over sometimes, maybe you could too.” Winn smiled, “That’d be awesome.”

Kara looked around, “Where is Waverly? She disappeared when we got off the train.” 

Winn pointed, “I think that’s her. It looks like her sisters anyway.”

Winn was right and Waverly soon came over and hugged them goodbye, “Keep in touch, guys!”

Winn saw his mom and left Kara alone on the platform. She looked around but felt an arm rest around her shoulders. It was Alex. “Have you said all your goodbyes?”

Kara squeezed Alex’s hand, “I think so.”

Maggie came up and stood on her other side, “Hey, Little Danvers.”

Maggie ruffled Kara’s hair and Kara scrunched up her nose at her, making her laugh, “I’d say bye but I’m pretty sure I’ll see you all the time.”

Kara pushed her away, “You’re always at our house.”

“What can I say? I just can’t get enough of you can I?” but Maggie was looking at Alex when she said it, not Kara. Alex was preoccupied with looking out for any sight of her mom and did not see the look. Kara pointed, “There’s Eliza!”

She took off running into Eliza’s outstretched arms. Maggie took a step closer to Alex, “Well…”

“Well…” Alex repeated. Maggie took her hand and squeezed it, “See ya later, Danvers.”

“See ya, Sawyer,” Alex started walking away and she didn’t pull her hand away until she was too far to still hold on.

Maggie waved as she walked away. She stood on the platform with her hands on her hips, everyone still rushing about. 

She smiled. Summer had just started and she couldn’t wait to get back to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	13. I Only Go To Diagon Alley for the Ice Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I said that after my 8 weeks in France I would be back to the regularly scheduled programming. It's been six months and as you can tell, that didn't happen. BUT IT'S BACK!! 
> 
> I was originally going to split up the years into different parts but because I haven't updated in a while, I wanted to make sure everyone who liked the story originally, would be informed about the update and hopefully come back even though I left you hanging. So, I'm just going to continue the chapters here but move into the next year at Hogwarts.
> 
> Also, I want to thank the individual who recently has left paragraph long comments on this fic. I had kinda abandoned it and getting those gave me the push I needed to get back into it.
> 
> Warning: I usually try to level the playing field with all the different shows this fic entails but this one is very much Supergirl character heavy. I don't really know why, it just turned out that way. It won't be that way always, I promise.

“Alex, come on!” Kara was trying to drag Alex through the brick wall before it had entirely opened. 

“Kara, stop. Or we aren’t going to Florean’s,” Alex bribed. A pout appeared on Kara’s face but she let go of Alex’s arm where she had left finger marks on the skin that were just beginning to disappear. 

“Why didn’t Eliza come? She always comes,” Kara questioned. 

“I don’t know, Kara. She had things to do and said I was in charge. Did you hear? I’m in charge. You have to listen to me,” Alex goaded. Kara narrowed her eyes, “I always listen to you.”

Alex scoffed, “Good one, Kara. But let’s go. We’re blocking the doorway.”

They took a step into Diagon Alley. The small street was bustling with students getting ready to go back to school. 

“Gringotts! Gringotts!” Kara sang. Alex shook her head, “Nope. Not going in there. They’re mean and creepy.”

“Just because they’re different than you doesn’t mean - ” 

“Yes, I know. But the goblins are actually mean and scary,” Alex explained further. She had never liked the wizard bank; she got chills whenever she was inside.

Kara tilted her head, “They like me.”

“No, Kara. No. You are the least likely to be liked by the goblins. They don’t do well with happy and excited and full of energy.” Kara huffed, “Well, that’s rude.”

“Add that to mean and scary. Can I see your list again?” Alex took Kara’s list as Kara looked around with big eyes. She had only been in Diagon Alley once before and it was still just as magical as the first time. 

“Okay, so we should probably replenish your Potions kit. You need _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 _…” Kara was obviously not paying attention to anything Alex said so she stopped listing things off. She was the one who had to make sure they purchased everything anyway.__

____

____

All of a sudden Kara grabbed her arm, “Do you think Lena will be here?”

“How in the world would I know if Lena Luthor would be in Diagon Alley? She probably wouldn’t be caught dead walking among all of us,” Alex said without thinking. Kara let go of her arm and crossed her own, “That’s mean, Alex. She’s my friend.”

Alex sighed, “I know. I know. I’m still getting used to it.”

“You don’t even know her. She’s not what you think she is,” Kara was adamant. Alex nodded, “Okay, well I still don’t have an answer for you.”

“I haven’t seen her all summer and I miss her!” 

“Maybe Winn will be here today. James sent me an owl saying he was coming when we were so he could see us. And Maggie will –“

“I saw Maggie two days ago,” Kara said, not really paying attention, “And I saw Winn and James last week. I haven’t seen Lena for three whole months.”

She was looking around as if she could spot one person amidst the mess of a crowd that filled the narrow street. “We aren’t gonna find anyone standing here. Let’s get the books first.”

Alex bought the books off both of their lists. Her mom had put in an order for their money ahead of time to save them a trip to Gringotts; she was not a huge fan of the goblins either. They went to the apothecary. Kara kept whining about ice cream, which was not out of the ordinary. Alex promised that once they stopped in the Quidditch shop, they would go. But when they got to the door, Kara cried out, “Astro!”

Alex swiveled on the spot, “Kara, I told you not to bring him here.”

But Kara had started dashing after the pygmy puff, weaving through the crowd. “Kara! Wait!”

Alex took off after her sister. The crowd was not pleased with the pushing and shoving but eventually she got clear of it. She looked around frantically. If Eliza found out she lost Kara, she would never be forgiven. 

She glimpsed the back of a head that looked quite familiar outside of Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment. When she got closer she saw a not so familiar face standing opposite of her sister, though she still recognized the boy. He was holding Astro in his hands, handing him back to Kara. “Kara?”

“Alex! He caught Astro for me!” The boy shrugged with a cocky smile on his face. Alex recognized him as Mon-El from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team: the same kid that Laura had mentioned to Alex before summer. “Uh-huh.”

“It was no big deal, really. Anything for a fellow Hufflepuff,” he grinned at Kara. Kara grinned right back. “Astro seems to like you.”

The pygmy puff was stretching out of Kara’s hands a little bit. Mon-El poked it gently and Astro quickly hid himself. Kara stuffed the pygmy puff back in her bag. “Make sure he’s not going to roll out again.”

While Kara did that, Alex looked Mon-El over. He seemed harmless enough despite his air of arrogance and smug face. Alex laid her hand on Kara’s back, “Okay, well, thanks for catching him for us, Mon-El, but we have to get going.”

“Wait, can’t Kara hang out for a little bit?” Mon-El asked.

“No,” Alex said, curtly, “she can’t.”

Kara let herself be led away offering Mon-El a wave over her shoulder. “Where are we going now?”

“Back to the Quidditch shop.” Kara slumped along, glancing longingly in the direction of Florean Fortescue’s. 

**********

James was looking for new arm shields when he noticed Kara trailing begrudgingly behind her sister. He snuck behind her and put his hands over her eyes, “Guess who?”

Kara jumped in surprise but giggled, “James, I know it’s you!”

He laughed in response, “Hey, Alex.”

“Anything new in this year?” James pointed to the window, “Besides brooms? Nah. Everything else is pretty much the same models from last year.”

Kara pulled on Alex’s sleeve, “Does that mean we can go now?”

Alex rolled her eyes, “Fine.”

“Do you guys mind if I tag along?” James asked. He had yet to see Winn and didn’t want to spend all day in Diagon Alley alone. “Have you talked to Winn, Kara?”

“Yeah!” she said with her usual brightness, “I saw him last week. He came over after you did.”

“Oh, okay,” James said, with a small frown. Winn had been acting weird in his letters to James all summer. “Did he seem okay to you?”

“Yeah,” Kara said, much too focused on the ice cream shop ahead to really be paying attention. The shop was full as it always was, the line out the door. They got in it anyway to wait. Kara was trying to figure out what flavors she wanted and ended up deciding she was going to get four different flavors until Alex squashed that idea. James added, “Kara, I don’t want to see you on a sugar rush.”

Alex shot him a look, “It’s terrifying.”

“Waverly!” Kara squealed and James stumbled back as he was pushed out of the way. Kara had never been one of grace. Waverly had come out of Florean Fortescue’s with her older sister. James had briefly met her after a Quidditch match but Alex seemed more acquainted. 

Waverly gave James a hug hello, “Are you guys waiting?”

Kara was drooling over Waverly’s cone, “It looks so good?”

“You can have some - ” 

Alex reached her hand out to pull Kara back, “Waverly, you don’t want to do that. Before you know it, she’ll have eaten the whole thing.”

“Waves, are you gonna stay with your friends are do you want to come with me? I did say I had a surprise for you so...”

Waverly whispered to Kara and James, “She thinks I don’t know what it is.”

She said her goodbyes and left with her sister. The line slowly moved to the door and as they got closer to the entrance, James noticed Alex constantly on the lookout. James looked around, “What’s up?”

Alex looks surprised, “Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing.”

She ducked in the door and James glanced around again before following her in. 

 

“Danvers!” Maggie had caught sight of her best friend exiting the ice cream parlor with James and her little sister whose ice cream cone was so big it almost completely blocked out her head. Alex and Kara both looked up at the name. When Kara saw Maggie she just continued eating ice cream. Alex on the other hand forgot about the food and smiled. 

“You get anything for me?” Maggie teased when she got nearer. Alex looked flustered, “Did you want something? I can go back - ”

“Nah, I’ll just mooch off of you,” Maggie stole the cone right out of Alex’s hand and took a huge chunk off the top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	14. Train Buddies

Kirsch came to a jarring halt in the middle of the bustling platform, dropping the bags to the floor and shrugging a girl off his back. Laura happily obliged, hopping to the floor. 

“Where’s my dad?” she questioned, looking around behind Kirsch. He put his hands on his hips to catch his breath. “I’m sure he’s coming. You made me run.”

“Just making sure you’re in shape before Danny sees you.” 

“I can fly a broom no matter how many pizzas I ate this summer,” Kirsch said in his own defense. Laura was jumpy, ready to get going and Sherman Hollis could not have appeared at a better moment. He handed out the bags he was carrying to Laura. “You can take these now.”

“Thanks, dad,” she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before sprinting off through the crowd and onto the train. Where she had to be in such a hurry, Kirsch had no clue.

Kirsch grabbed his own bag off of the floor. “Thanks again, Mr. Hollis. I better go before I’m late.”

Making his way onto the train he immediately passed a fellow team member and reached out to give her a high five. “Where’s your other half?”

“What?” Alex responded, flustered, the high-five turning out rather lackluster. Kirsch apparently didn’t notice which she was extremely grateful for.

“Maggie. Where’s Maggie?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. Gotta go.” She left with a quick wave.

He made his way through the walkway to the prefects car, only to find he had rushed for no reason. Perry was the only one there when he arrived. Danny was nowhere in sight. He grumbled, “Where’s Danny?”

Perry turned when he entered. She had already donned her robes, the prefect bag shining in the light. “She’s not here yet.”

Danny was a stickler for punctuation and Kirsch peered out the window to see if he could see her through the steam that was enveloping the platform. He had no luck.

“And now I’m early,” Kirsch stored his bag in the overhead rack.

“Better early than late,” Perry quipped.

“I’m not sure that’s the phrase,” Kirsch responded, pulling on his robes and pinning his badge to the front where it could be seen. He clapped his hands together. “We might as well start without her. It’s not really hard at all. We just patrol the train cars, making sure no one is getting into trouble. Since everyone’s just boarding, make sure they’re all finding a compartment. That’s about it.”

Kirsch exited the prefect cabin and pointed down the hallway, “I’ll start this way and you start that way.”

Perry nodded in agreement and they parted ways.

Some ways down the hall, Perry heard a familiar voice.

“Mon-El, you don’t ha-“

“It’s no problem.”

She peeked into the compartment where the voices were coming from. A girl she was familiar with was standing on the ground, hands on her hips as she looked up at a boy who was pushing a suitcase onto the rack. Perry was less familiar with the boy but she recognized him as the one whom, the previous year, Kara and Waverly did their best to ignore. “Hey, Kara.”

Kara turned when she heard her name. “Hi, Perry!”

The boy jumped down from the seat and Kara continued, “This is -”

“I’m Mon-El.” He put his hand out and Perry shook it good-naturedly. “I was just helping her with her stuff.”

“Well, that’s nice of you.” She looked to Kara who did not seem thrilled at all with the situation. 

“It really wasn’t necessary. I could’ve easily done it myself.”

He fell onto the seat. “Well, now you have a train buddy.”

“Oh, um, there are actually already people sitting here. I’m not sure there’s…” she trailed off. She really did not want to sit with Mon-El but there would probably still be room in the compartment for him, even with her friends, and she did not want to be too rude. 

“Can I see Astro?”

“Oh, he’s uh – he’s sleeping right now.” Perry saw Astro peek his head out of one of Kara’s bags but chose not to share. Instead, she excused herself to finish her rounds. That gave Kara an out as well. “I should probably go too…and find my friends.”

**********

It was a standoff. The two women stood near columns on opposite sides of the platform, a hand on their daughter’s shoulder. They didn’t move, they didn’t speak; they stood and stared each other down. Finally, as if they had made an unspoken agreement that a stalemate was reached, they released their daughters, each with one final warning.

“Stay away from that girl. We don’t associate with the name Karnstein.”

“Do you always have to pick your friends to anger me?”

“Of course. Otherwise, where would the fun be?” It was a daring response to her mother. Much more daring than Carmilla had been for the entire summer. Something about going back to the safety of school and escaping her mother for a few months made her feel like she could take the risk.

She walked toward Lena and the two met in the middle. “I didn’t realize my mother hated yours so much.”

“I did,” Carmilla said with a smirk and a shrug. 

“Is that why you decided to talk to me?” Lena could feel the eyes watching their interaction.

“Part of it,” Carmilla answered. Lena winced but respected the honesty. “Oh, don’t get sappy on me now, Luthor. You know I hate it.” 

Carmilla threw her arm around Lena’s shoulders, “Now, come on, let’s get on the train.”

Lena quickly shrugged out from under Carmilla’s arm. “I know that you can get away with that, but I can’t blatantly disregard my mother’s orders to her face.”

Carmilla surrendered, backing up and walking away. “Understood.”

Lena glanced back at her mother. Her face was expressionless, devoid of anger or resentment. It was neutral and cold. The only reassurance she felt was at the curt nod her mother bestowed upon her before she disappeared.

**********

Kara was trudging as quickly as she could through the crowded walkway but Mon-El was still keeping up with her. He had not gotten the message that when she left to look for her friends, he was not invited to follow.

“You should sit with the Hufflepuff team. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind and it’ll be fun.”

“I already told you that I have people to sit with.”

“You can change it up one time,” Mon-El urged.

“I want to see my friends.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind. You’ll see them at the feast.”

“I don’t want to see them then. I want to see them now.”

“But that’s –“

“Lena!” Kara had suddenly spotted her friend down the hall and took off. The strength of her hug crushed Lena against the window but she hugged back anyway. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” Lena said, smiling for the first time since summer vacation had begun.

“Kara?” Kara groaned loudly. “I didn’t know you knew a Luthor.”

The look on Mon-El’s face made Kara bristle. It was full of disgust, his lip curled as he stared at Lena. Kara stood her ground, eyes narrowing. “She’s my friend.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll see you at the feast then.” With one last look at Lena, he disappeared from view, lost amongst the other students.

Kara sighed, “I thought I’d never get rid of him.”

She grabbed Lena’s hand and pulled, “Come on! I already got a compartment.”

 

“Have you seen Winn or Waverly or James? When you were on the platform, I mean. ‘Cause I haven’t found them yet and we were all gonna sit together. And I’m not sure how we’re gonna find them with all those people out there.”

“I have an idea.” Lena pulled out a slip of paper and a quill. On it, she wrote: _Follow me. – K + L._ With a simple charm the paper folded into an airplane and flew out the open door of the compartment. “There. Now they can find us.”

Kara was staring at her in awe. “I still can’t believe you know how to do stuff like that.”

**********

Kirsch had tried to open a door to make sure the compartment was full when the door was flung open and a tall blonde pushed out before he could get his bearings. Inside, Danny was standing, already glaring as if she knew he was there. Kirsch looked at the retreating figure and back at Danny. “Well, well, what happened here.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“That was Betty and you’re late so…”

“It’s none of your business,” Danny growled, eye daggers. “It wasn’t what you think anyway.” 

“I don’t believe you so I guess if you don’t want me to think that –“

“Fine! Fine,” Danny said. “Betty cornered me and said we needed to talk so we did.”

He wiggled his eyebrows, “Talk?”

“Yes, actually, Kirsch. Talk. That’s it. Just talk. And you know how you promised me you would drop that whole thing when Betty got over it? Well, now’s the time.”

Kirsch had been leaning against the wall and pushed off in surprise, “What?”

Danny passed him, leaving the compartment open for more students. “Yeah, apparently over the summer she started dating Mel.”

“Like Mel? Like beater Mel? Like Mel on the team Mel?” 

Danny smacked his arm. “What other Mel do you know?”

He put his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure.”

They started down the hallway, the steady stream of students slowly petering out. “So are things going to be weird on the team now?”

“Of course not,” Danny snapped, “I’m professional.”

Kirsch scoffed loudly, “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

Danny stopped mid-stride and Kirsch knew it was about time to run. “And what it that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” he yelled behind him as he charged away to the prefect cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	15. The Problem With Letters Is...

“What’s up, Doc?” He had not been expecting to hear that voice anytime soon. Since Wynonna had started giving him the silent treatment the year prior, he hadn’t heard a word from her no matter how hard he tried to get into contact with her.

“Wynonna Earp as I live and breathe. It’s been so long, we must re-introduce ourselves. I’m Doc Holiday.” He stuck out his hand but Wynonna waved him off.

“I didn’t get any letters from you this summer.” 

Wynonna’s eyes wandered, “I know.”

“So, you did get mine?”

She threw her hands in the air, “Yes, Doc, I got yours. I was acting like a child.”

“And now you're not?”

“Enough with the questions, already. I’m talking to you again, aren’t I?”

“Yes, yes you are.” Maybe he deserved more of an apology than he received but Wynonna had her ways and her coming back was enough of a clear decision for him to accept the terms. 

“And about –“

“No need to bring up the past,” Doc promised. The last thing he wanted was to hear about whatever developments had happened between Wynonna and Dolls while he was absent from her life over the summer.

Wynonna suddenly groaned to Doc’s surprise. Looking around, Doc saw Dolls jogging toward them. Doc tipped is hat. “Dolls.”

“Doc.” Dolls and Doc stood staring at each other, no one speaking. They had never been the best of friends but Wynonna had been the glue between them. Now that that was disintegrating, no one knew quite where they stood. 

“Yeah, so I pretty much wanna be anywhere but right here, right now. You guys can deal with whatever is happening here and I’ll see you later.” Wynonna all but ran down the corridor.

After another few moments of silence, Doc took the initiative, “So she has left us to deal with ourselves. Pining for the same girl. What a predicament.”

Dolls nodded in agreement. “We’re on opposing sides trying to get the same thing.”

“We don’t have to be enemies,” Doc offered. It might be slightly more awkward but he did not flat out hate Dolls for any reason.

“You really think we can be pleasant to each other during all of this?”

“As far as I can see, Wynonna is the one who’s going to be making a decision around here,” Doc explained, “Which means that the outcome is the fault of neither of us. We’re just standing by until we get the okay from the girl we're so hopelessly falling for.”

“So, you think we should both do nothing until she makes up her mind? Do you even know Wynonna? That could be never.”

Wynonna was a fickle being but she was not heartless. Doc and Dolls were her close friends and she would always put in some type of effort to keep them around. Doc supposed as much as they needed Wynonna, she needed them as well. Doc wasn’t going to push her into anything. He knew that would never end well and only cause Wynonna to be angry at him. “I’m certain she’ll make a decision eventually.”

“And then what?” Dolls questioned. As much as he was uncertain about Doc and felt he always would be, he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to be in an endless feud with the Slytherin. 

“Well, here’s the kicker,” Doc smiled, “There is the possibility that her solution will be to choose neither and we’ll both be left to pick up the pieces of our broken hearts.”

“We’ll commiserate over our lost love.” Dolls was not smiling, he rarely did, but there was a hint of humor in his voice. 

They clasped hands and shook.

**********

Kara clutched the box to her chest, pacing the dungeon corridor. She was trying to figure out a way to get into the Slytherin common room as she didn’t know the password and was not supposed to be inside of it anyway. She thought maybe she could slip in after someone else but there was no way they would not notice her. She had just about given up when a figure slunk out from the shadows.

“Now who do we have here? A Hufflepuff that I recognize but you are certainly not Miss Waverly.”

“I’m her friend.”

“Ah, yes, now I recall.” Doc twirled his hand out, “And what are you doing so far from home?”

Kara didn’t really know what he was talking about but he was a Slytherin and she held out a hope that he might be able to get her inside. “My friend Lena is in there and I want to give her something. But I didn’t know how to do that.”

“Say no more.” Doc walked up to the wall, “Salazar.”

“We have to make the first password of the year easy so none of the first-years forget it,” he answered an unasked question. The stone parted, almost like the wall into Diagon Alley did and he ushered her through the opening. “Are you sure -?”

“Just stick with me. A friend of mine is welcome here anytime.” Kara wasn’t sure she should believe that. The heads in the common area turned to watch and stare as a second year Hufflepuff entered their domain. Doc tipped his hat and smiled and they all turned away, losing the interest that held their attention only moments before.

He led her down another corridor where they were stopped by a small group of Slytherins. The one leading the group was wearing a prefects badge. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

“Maxwell.”

“Bringing a student from another house into our dormitories? That’s against the rules, Holiday,” Maxwell said slyly.

Doc was not scared of the kid. He had some dirt himself. “I seem to remember your Ravenclaw friend frequenting Slytherin House. And I’m sure that information would cost you some house points.”

“You have no proof,” Maxwell sneered confidently.

“On the contrary,” Doc retorted. “See, I’m a smart guy and since coming to this school I have built up friendly relationships with quite a few of the portraits that hang in these halls. I’m sure one quick trip and a question later and that’s all the proof I’ll need.”

Maxwell looked back at his group who were offering no signs up support or solutions. He was grappling with his want to get Doc and Kara in trouble but his need to avoid the same fate. “Fine. This time. But don’t let me catch you at it again.

Doc stepped around them and Kara quickly followed, intimidated by the group of fifth years. They stopped in front of a door. Doc leaned against the opposite wall and gestured. “Just knock.”

Kara tapped three times and waited. A girl opened the door, her face turning to confusion when she was greeted with a Hufflepuff. “I came to see Lena.”

She looked past Kara to Doc and then shut the door in Kara’s face. She didn’t know if that was a dismissal or not but Doc seemed sure that she would see her friend so she stood her ground. 

Moments later the door opened and Lena appeared. A smile spread across Kara’s face. “Kara? What are you doing here?”

Lena looked past Kara as well, making a strange face at Doc who found his boots much more interesting than their conversation.

“Doc brought me in. I wanted to give you this.” She handed the box over and Lena opened it cautiously. A piece of paper floated to the ground and she picked it up, careful not to tip anymore out. “So, I know I wasn’t allowed to send you letters over the summer but so much stuff happened and I wanted to share all of it with you so I just ended up writing it all down. It made me feel like I was telling you all about it even though I wasn’t and now I thought it would be safe to give them to you.”

Lena was speechless. She hadn’t expected anything of the sort.

“Like the one time Winn came over to meet my cousin and ended up dangling himself upside down outside of the upstairs window and my cousin had to magic him to the ground. Or the time where Eliza took us to the beach, which is right next to our house, and I built the biggest sandcastle ever. I had to climb it to finish it!”

Lena laughed but Kara sobered. “You don’t have to read them or anything but I thought you might like them anyway. There’s a lot in there. I got carried away.”

“Of course, I’ll read them.” She closed the box, securing it as best she could since it was filled to the brim.

Kara rocked back on her heels. Even though Doc had said it was okay, she felt that her time was about up. She didn’t know how much trouble she could get in and she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. “Okay well, when you’re done hearing all about my summer. I want you to tell me all about yours.”

Lena smiled and agreed to appease her friend. Her summer had not nearly been as exciting and what did happen she would spare Kara from ever hearing. 

“I should probably go before I get in trouble. Bye, Lena.”

“Bye, Kara.” She shut the door.

Late that night when all the lights in the dormitory had gone out, she sat, enclosed in her four-poster bed, reading Kara’s letters by the light of her wand. They seemed to be never-ending and Lena supposed there was one for each day they had been gone from Hogwarts. It was very late, early morning, really, when she finished reading all the letters. Her eyes hurt but her smile was large and her eyes were clouded from tears that had yet to fall. Anything was better than how her summer had actually been spent and reading the letters made her feel like she had lived Kara’s adventures instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	16. We're All Playing Some Type of Game

Waverly dropped the spoon into the cereal bowl; it clattered loudly. “What am I even supposed to do? It feels weird not having anything first bell.”

“It’s really not that bad. You’ll get used to it,” Perry promised. She was sitting across from Waverly, next to Laura, and checking over her schedule for the day one more time. “Where’s Kara? You two are usually always together.”

“I didn’t see her this morning and that usually means she’s with Lena.” Perry and Laura exchanged a look.

“You can hang out with me and Perry,” Laura offered.

“Actually, I have Prefect duties this morning.”

“Oh, no problem, then we’ll just go find Lafontaine.”

“They have class.”

“Oh then, Da-“

“Danny and Kirsch also have class.”

Laura groaned. “Alright then, I guess we’ll just do nothing.”

“You’ll find something to occupy yourself with. Now I have to go make sure the first years find their classes. They really should have instituted this system a long time ago. It would’ve saved everyone so much trouble.” The first years always tended to get lost, losing valuable class time. It was a wonder no one had brought the idea up before but then again, things at Hogwarts never ran as smoothly as Perry would have liked.

Waverly half-heartedly shoved another soggy spoonful into her mouth. “We could go back to the common room and finish the game of Gobstones we were playing last night.”

“That sounds as good as any plan I had.”

When they got back to the common area, it was mostly empty. Laura opened the chest and pulled the bag out, dropping them all over the floor. They scattered everywhere. “Good job.”

Waverly collected them all and they set up the game as well as they could, trying to remember at what point they had stopped playing. Laura picked up a gobstone, ready to go when there was a scuffle on the stairs. “I really didn’t think I would have to do this again this year but here we are.”

Two figures were entering the common room, heading toward the entrance. “You can’t skip your first class on the first day.”

“I just wanted to have a little fun.”

“Well, you can have fun when your dea – oh, hi, Waverly!” Waverly jumped at hearing her name. The redhead from third-year that Waverly had briefly met at the end of last year was standing with a disgruntled looking Mon-El. 

Laura looked at Waverly and back at the other two. “Uh…”

“You know who I am?” Waverly asked, shyly.

Nicole laughed, “I do believe I said I’d see you next year.”

Waverly could feel heat rising in her cheeks. “Oh…yeah.”

“It was nice to see you but I’ve gotta make sure Mon-El doesn’t screw everything up on his first day back. I’ll see you around.” Nicole pushed Mon-El through the tunnel and out of sight.

Waverly looked back at the game. Laura was still holding onto the gobstone with a strange smile on her face. “What was that?”

“What?”

“That whole thing that just happened with the chaser.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Waverly responded honestly. She did not know Nicole at all aside from the couple of very brief conversations they had. She had not really expected Nicole to remember at all; she never made much of an impression. Laura raised her eyebrows and tossed the gobstone, “Suurrrreeee.”

**********

Carmilla slouched in her seat, trying not to doze off as Professor Flournoy droned on and on about what they had learned the year prior. She hated the first week of classes. What was the point of learning something one year and then being forced to relearn it the next? Besides, she already knew what he was teaching the third years and beyond really. She was sure she could sit in on a sixth-year class and not fall behind. 

It was only nine am and she was being subjected to boring lectures; if she was going to get through, she needed something else to occupy her mind. 

On the opposite side of the room sat the Hufflepuffs. And right in the front row was an overeager third year that was listening raptly to everything that Professor Flournoy was saying. Carmilla recognized the girl from the past two years of classes with the Huffflepuffs but no name was coming to mind.

Carmilla smirked, pulling out her wand and nudging Will in the side. He looked at her and she nodded across the room. With the slightest of movements, she was playing with the girl’s hair. It bounced against her shoulders. It took longer than Carmilla expected for the girl to notice and she quickly dropped her quill and smoothened out her hair. Carmilla was not trying to hide that she was the culprit and stared without shame until the girl found her eyes, glaring at her. Will was trying to keep his laughter silent as to not alert the professor. 

The girl still stared and Carmilla just shrugged at her. The attempt at intimidation was cute but was not going to work. Keeping eye contact, she soon had the whole class stifling giggles as she played with the end of Flournoy’s robes. He was none the wiser as his robes did a dance along the floor. This was the liveliest the class had been all morning.

Eventually, the sound became too much to ignore and the professor stopped where he was. Carmilla dropped his robes at the same time. “May I ask what is so funny?”

Everyone silenced immediately and no one answered. He went back to lecturing and Carmilla went back to messing with his robes. This time the Hufflepuff raised her hand, “Um, professor?”

“Yes?”

“Your, uh, your robes…”

Flournoy had just turned as the tail fell flat against the floor again. “I need not remind you that with one simple spell, I could find whoever decided that my class time was their play time. This information that I am imparting to you will be necessary to your success this term. If you choose not to listen, I cannot force you otherwise, but in this class, there is an aspect of respect that will be followed.”

He looked around making sure everyone was listening. Carmilla played the part well. She put away her wand. When he turned his back, the Hufflepuff stuck her tongue out at Carmilla who rolled her eyes in response.

**********

Maggie slammed the paper down in front of Alex whose eyes widened in shock. “Did you see this!?”

Alex was staring at the teams training schedule. “I am on the Quidditch team, Maggie.”

“Not my point, Danvers,” Maggie retorted, jumping over the arm of the couch to sit down. “Is she insane?”

“You know Danny. This is how she is every year,” Alex sighed. The schedule was rather vigorous but it was not surprising seeing how strict Danny grew last year about the game.

“This is on a whole different level.” Maggie reached over, her finger pressing hard into the paper next to a date. “I didn’t even realize the pitch could be used this early. Isn’t this still during curfew?”

“She probably got special permission –“

“Or we’re all going to be banned from playing because our captain lost her mind.” Maggie fell over on the couch and threw her arm over her face dramatically. “Do you know what this means?”

“Since when have you ever been this dramatic?” Alex said, finally setting down her quill and leaning back in the chair. 

“Since we are being forced to train on Halloween. She’s taking away Hogsmeade. My one escape from this –“

“Okay. Wow. I cannot deal with this. You need to stop.” Maggie sat up, laughing. “Okay, well jokes aside, I think we need to admit Danny to St. Mungos.”

Maggie caught Alex staring with half a smile and bright eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that, Danvers?”

Alex shook her head, the expression disappearing much to Maggie’s dismay. “Huh?”

With anyone else, Maggie would have pushed but with Alex she had learned that would get her nowhere. So, instead, she covered for them both. “For a second there I thought you might actually like me. I got worried.”

Alex grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room. Maggie caught it no problem. “Oh, shut up.”

Maggie smiled as Alex used the piece of parchment in front of her as an excuse to move on. Maggie hugged the pillow to her chest. “There she is. That's better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	17. A Little More Responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed last week's update. I was out of commission for the holiday and completely forgot.

Wynonna tapped her fingers against the desk, her head hung back. She sighed loudly, trying to get Dolls’ attention. Instead, he just flipped the Daily Prophet shut. “Something’s happening.”

Wynonna had found Dolls in an empty classroom after she had had breakfast with her sister. Waverly was missing her sidekick that day and so Wynonna had taken the empty spot. He had shushed her as soon as she started talking because he was reading the newspaper. She was certain he was the only person at Hogwarts that she had ever seen with the newspaper, which may not have been smart but this was the Hogwarts' student body after all. She was one of them; one of the ones that could not be bothered to take the time out of her day.

Dolls would not let her talk until he was done so she satisfied herself doing simple things that got on his nerves. She could see it when his neck tensed or his fingers flinched on the table. She smirked because she knew all he wanted to do was tell her to stop but that would be conceding that he was paying her any attention at all and that would have been even worse. Dolls was a strange being.

But when he shut the paper, it was not her he was aggravated with. “Something’s happening.”

Wynonna grabbed the paper and flipped through it quickly. Nothing stood out: no scandals, no concerning headlines. Everything seemed right as rain. She rolled her eyes and dropped the paper unceremoniously back onto the paper. He glared at her disrespect and flattened it out again. “I don’t see anything.”

“Exactly.”

She stared at him but he was scouring the paper again. “That makes no sense, Dolls.”

“It makes perfect sense. There’s always something. A new official. A new law. But there’s nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which means there something going on.”

Wynonna pushed herself off the desk. “Fine, but are you really going to sit here and wait until they report something that can prove your theory?”

Dolls sighed. “Wynonna.”

“Dolls,” she returned as mocking as she could. His attitude was really starting to grate.

“This is important. I can feel it.”

“Well guess what, Dolls? You can’t do anything about it. You're still a student. What? Do you think you can just sneak into the Ministry of Magic and save the day? Because you can’t.” She paused bringing her hand to her head. “I did not come here to talk about some savior’s complex that you have.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Wynonna. But I can’t just sit here and watch something bad go down. I have to do something.”

“You want out of here that badly, huh?”

Dolls closed his eyes, which was answer enough for Wynonna. He knew it would be. He knew the reason she had come to find him and he had chosen to ignore it. He’d rather deal with some invisible threat than with his feelings for Wynonna Earp.

“Oh, that’s great, Dolls. But you have one year left. And you can’t avoid what you’ve been avoiding for months, no matter how hard you try, (you’ve found some government conspiracy to occupy yourself with instead, who does that?) when you’re stuck in here with me.”

“I think it’s pretty clear –“

She threw up her hands. “You think kissing someone and then leaving for break and deciding to never talk about it again is clear? It’s not, Dolls. It’s not anywhere close to clear. I have no idea what’s going on because you won’t talk about it!”

He shoved his chair back so he could look at her straight on. “What do you want from me, Wynonna?”

She scoffed. “You know what? This is great, actually. ‘Cause now you can pretend like I don’t exist and you can pretend like you didn’t know what you were doing when you kissed me when you knew exactly what you were doing. Have fun with your stupid, amateur investigation.”

It was all she could do to stop herself from running from the room and once she cleared the doorway, she slammed it shut. The echo was incredibly loud, bouncing off the stones. She stomped down the hallway, almost colliding with someone as she turned the corner. She was enraged and it showed in her voice. “This castle is massive! How do you always find me?”

She didn’t wait for an answer before storming away. Doc watched after her, extremely confused. “Why is it always my fault?”

**********

Winn had gone silent for a few moments and when Lena looked over at him, his eyes were intently fixed on the next table over. Lena followed his gaze and when she found where it ended she huffed and looked back at her homework. “You’re gonna burn holes in the back of her head if you keep staring.”

Winn snapped out of it a little dazed. “What?”

“Lucy Lane? Really?”

“No – I’m not – that’s not –“ Winn shook his head violently.

“First rule is you don’t fall for people who like other people.”

Winn leaned away in disgust. “I don’t like Lucy.”

Lena paused and looked over at him, her eyes widening with understanding. “The first rule still stands. James likes her.”

He spluttered, “What are you talking about?”

“Those were daggered glares, Winslow, weren’t they?”

All of a sudden Winn’s homework became much more interesting to him and he didn’t respond. All Lena could do was commiserate and try to make him feel better. “You have to stop falling for your friends.”

His head hung low at her words. “It’s not like I try to do this. I just –“

“Either of you seen Danvers today?” Winn shot Lena a look as if to say “keep your mouth shut” as if she was going to say anything to anyone about his crush. Maggie was leaning over the opposite side of the table, talking at them. She snapped her fingers in front of their faces. “Earth to the second years? Either of you seen Danvers today?”

The question brought another realization to Lena’s mind. “Um, oh, I actually haven’t seen Kara much at all this week.”

“Me neither,” Winn added.

“No, no, no,” Maggie said, jumping over the bench to sit down across from them. “There’s Danvers and then there’s Little Danvers. There’s a difference.”

“Why would we have any idea where Alex is? Aren’t you two like attached at the hip?” Lena suggested.

Maggie rolled her eyes, “So what, I lose her one time…nevermind, you were no help.”

Maggie got up and left them alone again. Winn was absentmindedly twirling his pencil. Lena watched Maggie as she retreated from the Great Hall. “How come everyone always assumes we know where everyone else is?”

**********

The weekend was sunny and the castle was emptied of students who were trying to put off their homework in lieu of staying outside for as long as they possibly could. Kara walked out of the castle herself during the afternoon, looking for any familiar face she could find and it didn’t take long. The whole group was sitting in the courtyard, sprawled out amidst the sparse grass.

“Is that…is that Kara Danvers?”

Kara smiled and giggled at Kirsch. “Of course it’s me.”

“Well, I can never be sure. I haven’t seen you all year. Thought you dropped out, “ he commented and rightly so. She shrugged. “I would never do that.”

“Where’ve you been hiding since school started? You’ve been totally MIA,” Lafontaine added. Kara still didn’t know how to act around Lafontaine. They were like Wynonna in that way and she was still getting used to them. She shrugged again, unwilling to give up her secrets. “I’ve been here.”

Waverly jumped up from the ground to smother Kara in a hug, which she returned gratefully. “Well, we’ve missed you.”

Waverly stared her down intently. “I don’t know what I’m doing around here without you around. I’m totally lost.”

“Hey, Kara! Catch!” She instantly flinched toward Kirsch who threw the sparkler that he had been tossing around. There was a flash of explosions behind her eyes as she caught it and she quickly tossed it back, instantly retreating into herself and forgetting the reason she had come to find everyone in the first place. “I should go.”

Waverly frowned and an expression of confusion came across Kirsch’s face. “You just got here.”

“I forgot I was supposed to find Lena.” She pointed behind her, starting to back up. “Sorry, guys.”

“Wait,” Laura piped before she could leave, “Is she still friends with Carmilla Karnstein?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Kara responded, not understanding why Lena’s friends mattered to Laura who hadn’t made much of an effort to be Lena’s friend in the first place.

Kirsch pocketed the sparkler. “Need me to talk some sense into someone, L?”

“She’s just in my Charms class so I wondered.”

“Okay, well I should go.” Kara didn’t stick around for an answer. She was already strung out, her fists tight as she ran for the castle.

Kirsch looked around the group and back at the doors that she had just disappeared through. He was lost for words, not quite sure how to take Kara’s recent attitude. She didn't seem like the same person she had been the year before. Perry, on the other hand, had some observations to vocalize, “She’s acting particularly strange if I do say so myself. She better not be doing anything against the rules. I would hate to have to take points from my own house. But –“

“Yes, Perr, we all know you would if you had to.”

“I’m kinda worried about her,” Laura said, picking at the grass. Kirsch nodded. “Me too.”

**********

Lafontaine was huddled on the floor, underneath a window in the Ravenclaw common room. They were scribbling down fast on a piece of parchment, making sure to keep it hidden from view. They didn’t need anyone who wasn’t supposed to know to find out their plans. 

Everything had gone off with a bang last year…literally. It seemed to be coming together again this year. Another piece of parchment was laying on the ground next to them, covered in Vasquez’s tiny scrawl. Lafontaine had to squint to read it. They crossed off one word that gave them horrible flashbacks to the exploding cauldrons in first-year Potions but continued to copy down the rest onto a new piece of parchment. It needed to be clear. They couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

When they had made sure they double-checked everything, they rolled it up and tied it with a string. Then it all they had to do was wait. They weren’t very good at it and their patience was exceeded within minutes. They started beating out a drum pattern on their knee with the rolled up parchment until a couple Ravenclaws on the opposite side of the common room, with their heads in books, shushed Lafontaine. 

The door opened and Lafontaine jumped to their feet just to be disappointed when it was a group of girls instead of the shaggy-haired second year they had been waiting for. 

“The kid said he wanted in and now he…” they mumbled to themself as they waited yet again. They leaned against the wall next to the window. It was a clear day, the dark orange light of an evening sun coloring the blue carpet inside the castle. It was nearing dinner, which they really could not be late for. It was the Ravenclaws turn on the pitch for practice and if they didn’t get to the Great Hall in time, they’d have to skip dinner so they weren’t late for practice. Dolls would have their head. 

The entire team knew he wanted a House Cup win and they were putting in their all, doing their best to reach that goal. He deserved it and it was his last chance to get it. They all wanted it but there was an added pressure put on by their captain wanting to win so badly. He never used it or held it over their heads, which made them more willing to train harder than they had before. 

Just the thought of being late to practice made Lafontaine jumpy and they thought the studious Ravenclaws were about to kick them out of the common room when the door opened again. “Winn!”

“Hey, Laf –“

“Take this to the owlery.” They shoved the parchment into Winn’s chest. He looked at it disgruntled. “I just got back and I was going to go to dinner –“

“You’re already late and you said you wanted to be a part of it. We all agreed this was your part. So, go,” Lafontaine stressed.

“Fine,” he said just as his stomach growled. It was now aware that it would have to wait even longer for food. He hung his head and sighed, leaving the common room.

“And don’t let anyone know what you’re doing,” Lafontaine whisper shouted after him, earning them another round of shushes from their housemates. 

“I know. I got it. Don’t worry.” Winn had turned around to speak to them but kept backing up, causing him to trip out of the entryway. Lafontaine shook their head in both disbelief and amusement as Winn blushed and turned, running to complete his task.

The Owlery was completely out of the way for Winn’s trek to the Great Hall. As in it was on the complete opposite side of a very large castle. He couldn’t help it that Professor Flournoy had asked him to stay behind and talk. It wasn’t like he could say no because he had to go run a secret mission for the Ravenclaw’s annual Halloween prank. He had not had an option and Lafontaine had not allowed him to explain his tardiness. He just hoped that by the time he got to dinner, his friends would still be there and he would not have to eat alone. He hated eating alone. The Great Hall was so big that it made him feel even smaller than he already was. When he was surrounded by friends, he did not notice how much space surrounded him because he was always preoccupied laughing. 

He only passed a few students on the way but they all gave him strange looks. It must’ve looked weird, someone running away from dinner at dinnertime, but he kept on going. He could not let Lafontaine down. He hadn’t the year before and this year, they gave him a job with a little more responsibility, even if it was just a tiny bit. He didn't care because by the time he was a seventh-year, he wanted to be in charge of the Halloween prank. 

He took the stairs two at a time up the spiraling tower. They were clean until he reached three-quarters of the way up and then they looked as if they were painted white and brown. It was disgusting and he slowed down his pace, trying to step around the copious amounts of owl poop. It was virtually impossible; he’d have to clean his shoes. 

Lafontaine hadn’t specified what owl to use so he just called to one of the school owls and tied the small scroll to its foot. It didn’t wait for instructions and took off, the claws digging into Winn’s arm but not hard enough to break skin. He watched it fly for a little ways. He didn’t know where it was going. They had decided that no one involved would have all the information in case someone tried to get the plan out of them. Winn thought it was a little extreme for an innocent prank but he also thought it was fun to be part of a covert operation. He was musing on this fact until his stomach grumbled with hunger, breaking him from the trance.

He looked back down the stairs solemnly, realizing the distance he had to travel back before he could eat and immediately wishing he was old enough to Apparate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	18. Love Potions For Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really going to try to continue updating weekly but my schedule has gotten really busy since I've been back from break so some weeks it might turn into every other week.

Kara took the stairs two at a time, stumbling over the trick step but avoiding her leg falling straight through. She dashed down hallways and took corners at risky speeds. Her heart was racing but it had been racing long before she started running. So, when she came around a corner and saw someone approaching, there was no time for her to stop and she crashed into them, sending herself and the other individual sprawling to the ground. 

“Kara?”

She pulled herself up into a seated position as the other girl was standing up. Looking up she had a brief reprieve from her jumbled thoughts are she saw her best friend. “Oh, Lena, I’m sorry.”

Lena reached out and Kara took her hand, accepting the help in getting off the floor. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Kara had not thought of a cover story; she had not thought she’d be seen by anyone she knew. “Oh, I was just going to find Winn.”

“Oh, okay,” Lena responded, not totally believing Kara. Kara’s arm shot out, grabbing at Lena’s arm. She winced when Kara got too close to the bandage, not because it hurt, but because she would have rather kept it hidden under her robes. 

“Lena, what happened? Were you in the hospital wing?”

“It’s really nothing,” she shrugged off the question and moved her robe back down to cover it. The bandage was really unnecessary. She had been fixed up, there was nothing to even left on Lena’s body to remember the incident by. And besides she didn’t want to get Kara all riled up when Kara thought the bullying had ended. And for the most part, it had. But, Max wasn’t entirely satisfied and overall he had not meant to physically harm her. 

She had been standing in the hallway, outside a classroom when she felt her bag ripping. Max had been trying to cut “You suck” into the side of it but he wasn’t very proficient with the spell and he slipped up, his aim missing and cutting into the skin on her forearm instead. He had looked completely bewildered on the other side of the hall. The message itself didn’t hurt; she had been called worse. But, she had immediately gone to the hospital wing, clutching her arm to her chest. All she had said was that no one had meant it to happen; she didn’t want anyone getting in trouble because she knew that would only make it worse for her. The look on Max’s face made her believe he was not going to try anything like it again at least for some time. So, she also kept it from Kara because it was over and done with and there was no need to harp on it.

Kara narrowed her eyes in disbelief but she was too preoccupied to give Lena a hard time about it. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay now, but I should go, cause Winn and things…”

She trailed off and was about to leave when Lena stopped her. “Wait, Kara. I never really see you anymore.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara waved her off, “Sorry, I’ve just been really busy. Like now. But I’ll see you at dinner!”

Lena watched her run away. Kara had been up to something all year and no one seemed to have any clue what it was. Lena wasn’t any the wiser. She knew the importance of secrets and didn’t want to pry but she also wanted to be able to see Kara for more than five minutes a week. Still, she knew she wouldn’t interrogate Kara or follow her. She just hoped that maybe Kara would want to open up to her about whatever was going on. 

 

Kara came to a halting stop in a seventh-floor corridor. She slowed her steps, making sure there was no one around. She walked back and forth a few times before she was satisfied and then quickly and quietly backed through a door. She shut it secure and let out a deep breath, pulling in the very familiar smell that she could never place. It was comforting and calming. Her fingers, that had been biting into her palms since the firecracker, unclenched, the muscles sore and stiff. 

The room she was in wasn’t huge by any means. One one side there were floor pillows, so many that sometimes she ran and jumped in them with glee. There was a wall of bookshelves; some held books, other held small objects that she didn’t know the purpose of. The first time she had gone into the room she had read the titles of the books, realizing that she had never seen any of them in the school’s library or even heard of them named in conversation. The things they told of had never been taught to Kara before but they were all about people like her. There were an even amount of accounts that scared her and ones that brought her hope and fellowship. They changed too. Sometimes there weren’t the same books on the shelves as before but there was always something for her.

She had not had much time to observe the trinkets to find out what they did but there was one that caught her eye. The first time she had entered the room, she had been in a complete panic and could not find Alex anywhere. She thought maybe being alone would help. If no one was around, no one would get hurt no matter what she did. She had flown into the closest empty room she could find. This object had been a beacon to her as soon as she entered, calling out, glowing and pulsing until she put her hands on it and felt instant relief. It was a medium-sized bowl of glass with no markings that dictated anything about it. It was reminiscent of a Pensieve in shape alone. 

Alex would have her head if she ever found out that Kara had touched an unknown magical object. She would tell her how dangerous it was and berate her for not listening to anything she had ever taught her. Kara knew better most of the time but this was different. When Kara touched it, it didn’t feel ominous. It felt good. It was like a siphon. When everything became too much, it took what was leftover. Alex didn’t have to suffer alongside Kara any longer. She had found something that would save her sister any pain and there was no way she was going to ignore its presence. Besides, it only showed up when she really needed it. When she couldn’t calm down and was on the verge of exploding, it appeared in the room for her. It couldn’t be abused because it regulated itself. 

It was in the room now and Kara all but ran to it. She pulled it into her grasp and immediately she felt magic pouring from herself. Her heart rate settled down, her anxiety depleted, and her fear abated. From the instant the sparkler flew at her in the courtyard, it had been building up. And now since she had found the siphon, she didn’t need to find Alex. That made up for whatever consequences there could possibly be for using it.

When she felt in control again, she set the bowl on the shelf and fell backward onto the pillows. Floating is more like what it was. After using the siphon, she felt airy and free. One of the books she read talked about a young girl who could float. Kara tried it after but could never make it happen. Sometimes she felt it though. It was an occurrence out of her control. 

There were others things described in the books that she wanted to try but she was also afraid of what it would mean to find out if she could do them. The Danvers had been so kind but very adamant about no one finding out about where Kara came from. She knew it was dangerous and that people would be afraid, but she was drawn to it and sometimes it was hard to look the other way. That’s why she had kept the room a secret to herself. It was also nice to have a place to herself where it was quiet. 

She never had something of her own like this and she really rather liked it.

**********

Winn had just stopped James before he left the entrance hall for Quidditch practice. He just wanted to wish him luck but he barely got any words out before there was a call from the top of the stairs. “Hey, James!”

James turned as Winn looked. But instead of smiling like James, Winn mumbled in distaste under his breath. 

“Hi, Lucy.”

She rushed down the stairs to give him a hug and he put his arm around her, turning back to Winn. “Winn, this is Lucy. Lucy this is Winn.”

“Hi.”

“Whatever.” James cocked his head at Winn but then looked out the door as if remembering he had somewhere to be. “Well, you two should talk ‘cause I’ve got to get to practice.”

“Oh, tall, dark, handsome and he plays Quidditch,” Lucy said in a tone that made Winn want to scratch his ears off. James only laughed. “See you both later.”

Winn didn’t know where to move and Lucy just stood there looking at him for a while, studying him. He didn’t have any interest in talking to Lucy Lane whatsoever. “I get a feeling that you don’t like me.”

Winn didn’t speak.

“Which is interesting since I’ve never spoken to you before.”

Winn still didn’t speak.

“Well, if this is going to go nowhere, I have things I could be doing.” She started to walk away and Winn shouted after her, not realizing what he had done until it was too late. “Do you like James?”

She turned around, a smile slowly spreading onto her face. “I like a lot of people.” 

Winn groaned. She was proving how insufferable he had expected her to be. “No, that’s not – you know what I meant.”

Lucy nodded, still smiling like Winn was the butt of a joke. “And I answered your question.”

Winn’s focus dropped to the ground as he tried to understand what she was getting at. She sighed. “Yes, I like James and from all this that’s happening I guess you like him too.”

“What? No, that’s not –“ Winn spluttered, looking everywhere but at Lucy. “I don’t – I just wanted –“

Lucy threw her arm around his shoulders bringing an immediate stop to his broken sentences. “You know what, Winn. I think we’re gonna be good friends.”

**********

Maggie was swinging her broom as they walked through the courtyard. Every time it brushed the ground, Alex winced. She could see the bristles bending and breaking but Maggie didn’t seem to care. “Why didn’t you just leave it in the broom shed?”

“Theft, Danvers.”

“And you think you have better security in your dorm room than the spells in the broom shed?” 

Maggie turned, walking backward and smiling knowingly at Alex. “Oh I know I do.”

The brushing was grating and finally, Alex reached out and grabbed the broom. Maggie didn’t completely let go. “Do you even have a broom care kit?”

“Of course I do.” Maggie rolled her eyes.

“Because this is going to take a lot of work. Can you please keep it off the ground?” Alex begged. 

Maggie laughed. “I know but I have the money to buy a new model and I can’t justify it unless I really need it.”

“So, you’re ruining it on purpose? You could trade it in.” 

Maggie turned the right way around. “Nah.”

“It’ll take some of the cost out and then you won’t be spending however many galleons you’re planning on spending.”

“I don’t care how much I have to spend. I’ve saved it.”

“That’s crazy, Maggie! If it helps, that's better!”

“I’m keeping it, Alex. That’s my decision, okay?” 

Maggie wasn’t looking at Alex, keeping her eyes ahead as they passed the fountain. She didn't know why Maggie would want to keep a useless broom but she also didn't seem like she was going to give up that information anytime soon. Alex watched her for a few seconds before relenting, “Okay.”

They crossed under the covered walkway and started down the field toward the pitch when Maggie snorted. Alex covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to be so obvious about their presence. SJ had Kirsch pushed up against the outside of the courtyard wall. Maggie called out, “Kirsch not to break up your fun but Danny’s coming and if she sees you like this before practice she’s going to give a lecture on focus and that I don’t want to go through. So, simply for my sake. Please tone it down.”

“Mmm-hmmm,” Kirsch mumbled, as SJ continued to accost him, apparently without any care for whoever had to watch.

“Danny’s gonna kill him,” Maggie said. 

James ran past, pointing at Kirsch and SJ, “That’s gross!”

Alex nodded though James wasn’t paying attention and started after him, toward the pitch. 

“Wait, Danvers. I want to see Danny kill him,” Maggie said, reaching out and pulling her back to a stop.

Alex cringed and waved her hand out towards them. “But that means we have to stay here and see it.”

“What? A little bit of PDA creep you out?” Maggie teased. 

“Okay, no, but that’s a gross amount of PDA,” Alex contested. 

All of a sudden, Maggie grabbed hold of Alex’s arm. Alex froze and stared at the hand on her arm until Maggie shook it, pulling her attention elsewhere. Maggie pointed into the courtyard to the castle doors. “Is that Winn with Lucy Lane?”

“Who’s that?”

“You don’t know who Lucy Lane is?” Maggie looked at her, completely thrown. 

Alex pursed her lips and shook her head. “Should I?”

“She’s like _the_ third year.”

Alex shrugged. “I have no idea what that means.”

“It means she’s the one that everyone knows about, that everyone watches. Everyone wants to be her. Everyone wants to know her. She’s a brilliant student. If rumors are to be believed –“

“They’re not.”

“-then she’s a winning flirt. Queen of innuendo. I know some six years who have been caught off guard by her. She’s like a legend.”

“That’s weird, Maggie.”

Maggie laughed, shoving Alex. “I didn’t say I was one of them, Danvers. I’m just getting you caught up.”

“Is that Alex Danvers, I see?” Both Maggie and Alex’s heads popped at the sound of Alex’s name. Lucy was sauntering towards them, Winn pulled roughly into her side.

Maggie nudged Alex. “I thought you said you didn’t know her.”

“I don’t,” Alex said, confused by the turn of events.

Lucy Lane stopped in front of them, completely comfortable while Winn looked like he would rather be anywhere else than tucked under Lucy’s arm. 

“Do I know you?” Alex asked Lucy. Lucy laughed quietly. “I doubt it but I know you. When you play Quidditch, you’re kinda famous around here.”

Alex nodded but turned her attention to Winn, “What’s up, Winn?”

Winn opened his mouth but Lucy cut him off, pulling him even tighter to his side, “Oh, Winn and I are just hanging out. Getting to know each other. We have some shared interests.”

Whatever that meant, neither Alex nor Maggie could figure out. But they had been distracted and the sound of Danny’s shrill voice caught their attention. “Kirsch, you have better things to do.”

It was better than Maggie could have imagined. Danny grabbed Kirsch by the ear, physically pulling him out from between SJ and the wall. He stumbled after her, a dopey smile left on his face. SJ looked surprised but just smiled and waved. Kirsch finally pulled himself away from Danny without ripping his ear off and she shoved him.

“I warned him,” Maggie said, turning back to Alex.

“We should probably get going,” Alex said, pointing toward the pitch.

“Well,” Lucy began, “maybe I can make you late another time.”

Maggie had to turn around as she snorted, trying to hide the sound in her hand. She could feel Alex’s uncertainty beside her. “Um, I don’t show up late to practice.”

Lucy smiled. Alex acting oblivious only spurred her on. “Sure, Alex.”

“See ya, Winn,” Maggie waved when she had herself under control. Alex elbowed her to get moving.

“Wait! One more thing.”

“Yeah?” Alex questioned, exasperatedly.

Lucy smirked. “Lookin’ good, Danvers.”

She spun Winn around and walked off with Alex staring wide-eyed after her. Maggie had completely lost it, bent over and howling. Alex turned to her, mouth dropped open, “What is going on at this school? Was everyone slipped a love potion?”

Maggie stood up, patting her on the back. “Come on, Danvers, your fans will be waiting for you afterward.”

Alex didn’t even honor that with a response and shrugged out of Maggie’s grasp, stomping off ahead of her. Maggie threw her head back, laughing some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	19. The Biggest Botch In the History of Botches

“Miss Karnstein.” Professor Pruitt was herding the last Salamander into its log as the rest of the class dispersed. “Stay a moment, please.”

She halted, already behind most of the other students who turned to look at her curiously when they heard the professor’s words. Most of them upon seeing who was called turned and went on their business but the Hufflepuff whom Carmilla had decided despised her (not that it was any different the majority of students who kept their distance), almost tripped over as she stared unabashedly in Carmilla’s direction. Carmilla raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed, stumbling but turning as she did and scurrying off.

She stood where she was, waiting for Professor Pruitt to come to her. Professor Pruitt slapped her hands together, a small bit of dirt falling to the ground. “Miss Karnstein.”

She left it at that and Carmilla inclined her head. “Yes?”

Professor Pruit sighed dramatically. “Miss Karnstein, you have been in this class for a year and a half now?”

Carmilla nodded distractedly, disinterested in the concept of a conversation with a professor. Professor Pruitt mimicked her nodding. “And in that time it has been made quite clear that you have absolutely no interest in Care of Magical Creatures and carry much disdain for it.”

She continued to stare at Professor Pruitt not having anything to add to the observation. Professor Pruitt shook her head at Carmilla’s sense of apathy. “Why do you continue to force yourself to suffer through something that you hate when you can simply drop the class?”

“I didn’t realize professors were supposed to encourage their students not to take classes,” she criticized. 

Professor Pruitt sighed again; she had a bad habit of doing so. “I’m not encouraging you not to take classes. I’m encouraging you not to take classes you don’t care for and focus on what you do, instead of wasting your time.”

“With all due respect,” Carmilla quipped sarcastically, “your class is just fine but this conversation is what is wasting my time.”

“That was entirely without respect as you very well know,” Professor Pruitt was now matching Carmilla’s dry tone. “I am forced to deduct points from your house.”

“Whatever. It’s not the first time.” _And probably won’t be the last_ , Carmilla thought to herself. “I’m staying in this class, Professor.”

“As you wish.” Carmilla knew that at the moment, green gemstones were slowly floating upwards in the Slytherin house hourglass. That was Professor Pruitt’s dismissal as well and Carmilla trudged back up to the castle.

Sometimes she liked that the Slytherin common room was built under the lake and other times she came to loathe the green and the cold when the fires weren’t ablaze. It was comfortable enough when she had the run of the place but now, she skirted her housemates, sneaking off into her own dormitory. 

Carmilla flung her bag onto her bed as soon as she opened the door, eliciting a sharp groan from the figure laying on it. She sneered at her brother who smiled back menacingly as he shoved the bag off his stomach and onto the floor, the contents clattering around. “You’re late.”

Carmilla had received a letter demanding her presence in her own quarters, right after class. It wasn’t signed but even if she hadn’t known her brother’s handwriting, the sniveling tone of it would have clued her in: _We need to talk if you’re done playing with those imbeciles_.

“I got held up,” she replied offhandedly.

“I have to give you credit for keeping up with it. I wouldn’t last one class period,” he stood, letting her fall onto her bed.

“You would never spite mother. It doesn’t take any effort when the end goal is so sweet.”

He swung around her bedpost and leaned against the frame. She waved her hand at his antics. “Can we get on with it? Why did you have to taint my bedroom with your presence?”

“You received my letter?”

She didn’t honor him with a response and instead, brought out her wand, flicking it around. Will flinched. She wasn’t actually doing any magic. He spoke, though his eyes continued to watch the movement of her wand. “I don’t enjoy being the owl between you and mother but she has no choice seeing that you stopped answering or receiving her letters.”

“That’s nothing new.”

“And I have been the messenger ever since. I’m the one who has to take mother the bad news when you refuse her and she doesn’t enjoy it. I may not be the one doing the refusing but I’m the only one she sees and that doesn’t shine the brightest light on me.”

Carmilla faux pouted. “Oh, little William’s sad because mommy doesn’t like him.”

“Mother likes me just fine,” he snapped back. She could see his fury boiling under the surface. Despite William’s misaligned alliance with their mother, Carmilla knew that underneath it all, it was just a call to be noticed and recognized by her. He was running on a thin line, tipping onto the wrong side, but she also didn’t want to push him. It affected him more than it had ever affected her and so though she was fine with being estranged from her mother, he was not. He was also sour that despite Carmilla’s actions, their mother still preferred her to him and he was doing his best to change that, however futile his attempts may be.

“Deliver the message, messenger.”

He scowled but the rage was abating, slowly. He looked up at the ceiling as he recited from memory, their mother’s exact words, “You must be home for Christmas break this year. There are no exceptions. You know that this is a very important time and you must be a part of it. We are going to show a united front and you will not be the member of this family that ruins it. I will see you in two months.”

Hearing it from Will did not insight as much fear as if her mother had come in person, towering over Carmilla, her voice quiet and cold. The words themselves did not intimidate her but the vision of her mother saying them did. She brushed it off, refusing to show weakness to Will. “This was a waste of time. I was coming home anyway.”

“Were you going to tell anyone?” William asked skeptically.

“Why does she want me there anyway?” Carmilla ignored him. Even from an outside perspective, it didn’t make much sense. She had never been on the same side as the rest of her family. It might not be public knowledge but it was known enough in the circles that mattered. She was bunched in with them because of her name but she had never before forced to make a joint statement with them until now. 

Her mother had become obsessed with someone other than her own reputation for the first time in a very long time. She had a cause that overtook her life and subsequently Carmilla’s as well. There didn’t seem to have been a precedent, she simply woke up one day, an idea had taken strong root in her mind and she’d stop at nothing. It was to “better the wizarding world at large.” It was to better nothing but her mother’s own screwy agenda.

“Maybe if I was the golden child, I would know,” Will answered snidely. “She knows your opinions on the matter and still wishes you to be the face of it.”

She could hear the jealousy in his voice. “It’s her way of torturing me, Will. It’s not a present.”

She could see in his eyes that he disagreed. “You don’t understand anything, kitty.”

He let himself out with drooping shoulders, the door slamming behind him. She sat up on the bed, thinking about his trailing robes and how the usual flair was gone. Unfortunately, he was the one lacking knowledge. Carmilla wished that she could be ignorant, wished beyond wish that she knew nothing. Will knew nothing and understood nothing outside of their mother’s influence. 

**********

There was complete chaos. Winn could hear Lafontaine and Vazquez yelling at each other across the table. The Head Boy, also captain of the house Quidditch team, was shouting, trying to keep some semblance of calm but only adding to the frenzy. Winn had the urge to reach out and touch him. He had never spoken to Xavier Dolls but Winn admired the way he ran the team. But he stopped as there was an even louder crash on the opposite side of him and sounds of a scuffle coming from near his feet. The Ravenclaw table might have been the loudest but they were definitely not alone.

A loud booming voice cut through the darkness, “Do not be alarmed.”

All noise stopped at once. The darkness was thick and unnatural, completely devoid of light. There was a swishing noise and slowly but surely, Winn’s vision returned. He could see in front of him and soon, the darkness was completely gone and the floating candles and wall sconces were flickering to life once more. 

Lafontaine and Vasquez were face to face, their hands planted firmly on the wooden tabletop. Rhys must have dove over the table because she was currently on top of Donovan and had looked like she had been pummeling him into the floor. He had a bloody nose and was shielding his face with his hands. Rhys has lost focus when the lights came up and was sitting up, pressing on his chest, and looking toward the front of the Great Hall. Dolls had his hands on his head and was examining the scene with utter astonishment. 

Winn looked around the Great Hall. Most of the other students were somewhere in the process of scurrying out of the Great Hall. Kara was standing on the Hufflepuff table looking at him inquisitively, Waverly next to her on her tiptoes. Perry was pulling on their arms to get them back on the floor.

“How could you have possibly messed up so badly?” Vasquez bellowed at Lafontaine.

“I didn’t do this.”

“You were the one in charge.”

“Maybe if Donovan wasn’t a dunderhead,” Rhys said, pushing herself off him, “Who let him be a part of this anyway?”

Winn stood silently between the four of them, hoping they would leave him out of it. It didn't take long for those hopes to be dahsed. Donovan pointed at him. “He’s the one who sent the owl.”

“Leave Winn alone,” Lafontaine ordered, “He never saw what was sent.”

“It all comes back to Lafontaine, then.”

“Silence!” The voice boomed again. All heads turned to the front of the Great Hall. “There is no need for worry. Please sit down and finish your dinners.”

The headmaster waved her hand towards the Ravenclaw table. “Mr. Dolls if you would please escort the students that I assume were involved to my office, that would be much appreciated.”

Xavier glared down Winn. “If you make us lose house points over this stupid prank…”

He trailed off but Winn had got the message. He started trailing after the Head Boy when Lafontaine jumped the table and stopped him. “This wasn’t Winn’s fault. He doesn’t need to go.”

“Hey!” Donovan intercepted. “I don’t care how little a part he had, he doesn’t get to get out of this.”

“I’m just doing what I was told,” Dolls stated. “Everyone comes with me.”

Lafontaine put their arm around Winn. “Are we going to get expelled?”

Lafontaine snorted. “Of course not. I bet there’s going to be a three-course meal waiting for us in her office and at the worst maybe she’ll take some house points and we’ll get detention. No one’s going anywhere.”

**********

The common room was entirely empty when Waverly claimed the couch. She had Transfiguration homework to do and she had decided to wait for Kara to come back to the dormitory. Waverly didn’t know where her friend was half the time but she really wanted to see what Kara thought of the Halloween prank, especially after finding out Winn was involved. 

She opened the book, blinking profusely. Even after the headmaster had swept the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder from the Great Hall, she could still feel it behind her eyelids, scratching at her eyes. For hours after, everyone couldn’t stop talking about it: the first botched prank in as long as anyone could remember. 

Waverly had watched Winn be escorted out with his head hung low and worried about what the consequences would be. The prank was harmless. No one had gotten hurt. She couldn’t imagine they’d get punished for keeping the tradition of a prank, known to everyone and that no one before had tried to put an end to. She figured the headmaster had to be done talking with them as it had been hours. The Hufflepuff common room was deserted, everyone having gone to bed. Waverly wished she could check on him but it was already past curfew and she didn’t want to get in trouble.

_Meow._

Waverly flung forward, sending her head flying, gliding across the floor as she looked under the couch. The small head of a white kitten twisted to her as she came into view. Waverly smiled wide. “Beau! What are you doing under there?”

The kitten wiggled himself out and jumped into her lap. This had been Wynonna’s surprise gift for her when they went to Diagon Alley before the start of the year. It was supposed to have been a surprise but Waverly had overheard Wynonna talking about it weeks prior. She feigned surprise when they walked into the store; she must’ve done it pretty well as Wynonna was ecstatic that she pulled it off.

Beau snuggled into her chest and she stroked him, leaving her forgotten homework spread out across the table.

 

The creaking of a door startled her awake and Beau jumped up, digging his paws into her chest. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be out here.”

Nicole was standing outside the rounded door leading to the girl’s dormitory. She looked embarrassed but suddenly smiled. “I’ve been wondering who that little guy belongs to. He’s very friendly.”

She put out a finger. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared through the door, reappearing only a minute later. In her arms was a cat, years past being a kitten. After shutting the door, she made her way over to the couch. “I have one too. Her name is Calamity Jane.”

Nicole gently set Calamity Jane on the couch. She curled up instantly, blinking her eyes; Waverly wondered if Nicole had woken her up. Beau jumped off Waverly and hesitantly sniffed around the new guest. Calamity Jane brought her head up, touching his nose and he jumped backward. Waverly and Nicole laughed.

“When did you get her?”

Nicole waved the question away with a hand. “Oh, I’ve had her since before I came to Hogwarts. I couldn’t just leave her behind so I brought her with me.”

She sat down on the arm of the couch opposite Waverly and reached out, rubbing Beau’s head. “What’s this little guy’s name?”

“Beau. My sister got him for me this year,” Waverly responded. It was easy talking to Nicole when it was strictly questions and answers. Anything outside of that and she had no idea what to say. She knew nothing about Nicole and was a little intimidated by her, being that she was a third-year. Nicole seemed nice and easy going enough though and interested in becoming Waverly’s friend. 

“That was very nice of her.”

“Yeah, well I also asked her to pick me up cauldron cakes at Hogsmeade today but she didn’t do that,” Waverly complained good-humoredly. 

“Oh,” Nicole began, shimmying her way onto the couch in a way that would not crush the cats, “I have some in my room and I’d share with you.”

Waverly’s face grew hot and her cheeks reddened, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Another time then. Just ask.” Nicole caught a glimpse of the mess on the table. “What’s this?”

She picked up a piece of parchment. Waverly shrugged. “That’s just my Transfiguration homework. I was going to do it but then Beau distracted me and I nodded off.”

“Do you need help? I’m pretty good at the subject if I do say so myself.” Nicole’s smile was contagious and her eyes were shining with glee. Waverly found herself not being able to control her reaction and she smiled back dopily. 

Saved by the bell. Or more like the rustling of someone entering the common room. Waverly had the sudden realization that she had been waiting for Kara who had never returned and it was way past curfew. She didn’t know if Nicole would rat Kara out or not. Waverly knew that she always tried to make Mon-El listen to the rules and hoped that she would let it slide.

Kara froze upon entering the common room, realizing she’d been caught. “Oh.”

Kara looked at Waverly, her eyes pleading for help. “Um…Nicole this is my friend Kara. Kara this is Nicole. She’s a third-year and she’s on the Quidditch team.”

"I've seen you play," Kara said in greeting. Waverly hoped that if she acted normal, Nicole wouldn’t mention anything. Luckily, Nicole seemed to catch on. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s late. Where’ve you been?”

Kara sighed and rushed over, falling into a chair opposite them. Calamity Jane, rudely awakened, climbed into Nicole’s lap. Beau was sitting on the top of the couch above Waverly’s head. “I was waiting for Winn. He’s fine. Ravenclaw lost a bunch of house points.”

“I think that was a given,” Nicole said.

“He’s really upset though. Lafontaine was yelling at him about how none of it was his fault when I got there. He didn’t seem to believe them and they seemed like they were about done with him.”

Waverly rolled her eyes. Winn had a habit of being melodramatic about things. He never been in trouble before and the first time, he had to speak directly with the headmaster. That had to be nerve-wracking but it was a little dumb that he thought he was the guy who screwed everything up. Wynonna had told her about the whole prank situation, at least what she had gathered from Dolls who did his best to keep out of the whole mess. No one would have given anyone below fourth-year an important job.

“I think he’ll be fine. He probably just needs a good night’s rest.” Nicole didn’t know anything about Winn but it was about as reassuring as she could get. 

They sat in silence for a little bit. Waverly thought she had heard almost all about the prank that night that could ever be said about it.

Nicole broke the silence. “They really screwed up.”

It was so blatant and so random that Kara cracked up and Waverly couldn’t hold in her snickers. Nicole chuckled along with them. “That had to have been the worst mess up that anyone could have done. It wasn’t even cool.”

“I bet that’s why Winn’s upset,” Waverly said. “He didn’t gain any cool factor.”

“Can Winn ever gain any cool factor?”

Waverly just laughed. She really wasn’t trying to make fun at the expense of Winn. The nerdiness is what made her love him and his striving to be seen as anything else was grating. He had recently started hanging out with Lucy Lane and that was taking up all of his time. Winn didn’t seem all too happy with it but he never chose not to go with her.

Nicole slapped her legs and moved to stand up. “I’m going to go get those cauldron cakes.”

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go to bed,” Kara said. She did look tired, more tired than usual. And it was a different kind of tired than just staying up later than you should. Waverly could see it in her eyes. She decided she would too and maybe she could get a few answers out of Kara before they fell asleep. 

“I’ll go with you.”

“Oh,” Nicole said, biting her lip self-consciously, “I thought maybe we could all hang out here for a little bit.”

Waverly scooped up Beau. She did want to talk to Nicole but she wanted to talk to Nicole when they were just by themselves. She didn’t really want Kara to be there because a lot of times, Kara became the center of attention. It wasn’t even by her own doing, it was just an energy she had. People were drawn to her and Waverly wanted to be able to talk to Nicole without distractions. 

“Another time?” she tried to stifle a yawn but failed.

Nicole smile half-heartedly. “Yeah, maybe when you won’t fall asleep on me.”

Waverly nodded and followed Kara to the dormitory door. 

“Waverly?” Kara continued on but Waverly stopped and turned around. 

“Yeah?”

“I think you’re nice and interesting and I just really do want to hang out with you sometime. For more than five minutes at a time maybe?”

“I’m sorry - ”

“No, don’t apologize. I always see you at not the greatest times. But just keep that in mind.” Nicole shrugged, one corner of her mouth pulling up.

Waverly ducked her head, feeling her cheeks go red yet again and slipped through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


	20. Things Gone Missing

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” Danny watched as James let yet another goal through. The Slytherins were eighty points ahead now and looking up, Chrissy was still circling, the snitch out of sight. Danny shot across the field to the goal posts. “What is going on with you!?”

It was then she noticed that James was leaning slightly off his broom. One hand was clutching his abdomen and his mouth was twisted into a grimace. He let out a groan before he spoke. “That Karnstein kid…bludger…close distance…brok…en ribs, I think.”

Every word was punctuated by an intake of breath as he gasped through the pain. It was clear that he couldn’t keep playing or he would keep letting goals in. “Shit.”

She looked to the ground and bellowed, “Time out!” while motioning for James to follow her. He almost toppled off his broom when he landed and she caught him, holding him up as Madam Almieda rushed over. She took one look at him and conjured up a gurney to get him to the hospital wing. She lifted her whistle to her lips. 

“Wait! That’s got to be a foul.”

“People get hit with bludgers all the time in Quidditch, Miss Lawrence.”

“Not the Keeper and not at close range!” 

“Unfortunately I did not see it occur and I can’t take the word of one team over the other.”

Danny pointed to the way James left the field. “You saw him!”

Madam Almieda gave her a strict look. “I suggest you get back into the air, captain.”

Danny stalked off to grab her broom. The Gryffindor team which had been hovering, waited for Danny in the air. “Alex? Maggie? You handle this. Someone needs to keep an eye on the goals. It’s just you two out there now.”

They high-fived, a mischievous look passing between them. “No problem.” 

Danny had no worries about them; they worked flawlessly together, reading each other’s every move and knowing them before they were made. Sometimes Danny felt like her involvement was holding them back. She turned to Mel and Kirsch. “We can’t lose another one so keep those bludgers away from us.”

They nodded and the whistle blew, scattering players like the wind. Kirsch aimed every bludger he could at Will, though never making contact with anything but the bat. Mel, on the other hand, took a more rigorous approach. If they had the nerve to intentionally harm their keeper, she made it her goal to intentionally harm theirs. There was an art to it because if Madam Almieda thought that the bludgers flying toward the goal posts were not stray, she would call a foul and because Danny was not their actual Keeper, the goal posts would stand wide open during the Slytherin's free throws.

One of her bludgers hit the target. They did no damage to the player but knocked at the back of the broom, sending him spiraling in circles until he could pull himself out of it. 

Alex and Maggie were blurs in the air, streaks of red. They took advantage of the confusion of the Keeper. Maggie was low on the ground, speeding along. She turned up right near the goal posts, sending the Quaffle in a streamlined toss to Alex who knocked it through the middle hoop with absolutely no effort.

As long at the Slytherins stopped scoring, they could win by catching the snitch. But, that didn’t happen and the game went on for hours. Though everyone knew that Quidditch matches could last for who knew how long, this was becoming the longest game played in Hogwarts' history in years. Dusk was approaching and Danny wished they had a second string. She could see her players tiring out above the pitch but the only thing that gave her hope was that the same was happening to the Slytherin team.

Danny kept post monitoring the goal post and Chrissy flew in beside her. “There’s no snitch.”

“What?” Danny said, her focus distracted.

“The snitch doesn’t exist. I haven’t seen it at all and about two hours in Rookwood stopped looking altogether. I thought he was just being an idiot but now I don’t think that’s the case.”

The commentator had stopped a while ago and the crowd had dwindled substantially. Danny would not have been able to leave; she would have been riveted to her seat, anxiously waiting to see how such a game played out. But if there really was no snitch, then the payoff would be less than satisfying and she was secretly glad many students had taken their leave.

Danny flew over, intercepting Theo who following closely behind Sawyer. “What kind of game are you playing at?”

He pulled up short to avoid colliding with her. “Stop interfering with the match, Lawrence. I can’t help it if you’re going to lose.”

She jabbed her finger into his chest. “Oh, I’m interfering? How long were you gonna let this play out?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” It didn’t convince her at all.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you would stoop to this level to try to win but I did think you had some respect for the game itself. Guess I should’ve known better.” She turned her broom from him, eyeing Madam Almieda. “This ends now.”

She landed on the ground and Theo was fast beside her. “This is ridiculous.”

“We’ll see if you think the same thing when Slytherin gets disqualified from competing for the Cup.”

“You wouldn’t -”

“You brought this on yourself, Straka.”

“What is it now captains? I would appreciate it if you would both go give your seekers a pep talk, we’re missing dinner.”

“There’s no snitch.”

“I opened the box myself, Miss Lawrence. I witnessed its release. I can’t help it if it’s a tricky one.”

“Okay,” Danny said, rephrasing, “but now it’s gone. As in it doesn’t exist on the field. And I think Theo can tell you a little bit about that.”

“As I said before, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Danny pointed up to the sky. “Then why is your Seeker taking a nap up there. Just admit it so we can end this.”

Theo crossed his arms, his lips pressed tightly together. Danny groaned. “Fine. But Madam Almieda can you at least check. If nothing happens then its no time wasted.”

“This is rather unusual but I suppose we can’t let you all play yourself through to exhaustion. The board would have our asses.” She lifted her wand into the air and shouted. “Aparecium!”

Danny blinked, as right in front of her face, a flash of gold appeared. It was moving as if it had been in play the entire game and moved around her head before flying off to its next destination. It was only a brief moment but enough for Madam Almieda to see what had happened. Her face turned grim. She blew her whistle. “This match has ended. I want to see all players on the ground.”

She turned to the stands and waved her hand at them. “As for you lot, go to dinner.”

Danny’s team landed behind her, staggering from their brooms. “Someone tampered with the snitch during this game. I will be entering into a full investigation alongside the headmaster. When we find the culprit, their house will be disqualified from playing Quidditch for at least the remains of this year. The person alone may have even more restrictions put on them. This is an extreme act of disrespect and lack of sportsmanship. If you’re afraid you are not good enough to win on skill alone then maybe you should rethink your position in the game; maybe you do not belong here at all.”

She held out her hand. “Every one of you will hand over your wands.”

There was group mumbling around them but Danny held hers out without hesitation. She knew she had done nothing wrong and if that was what they needed to prove her innocence then they would have it. When no one else stepped forward, Danny turned around to her players. “Do it.”

Sawyer grumbled the most but eventually all of the Gryffindors handed over their wands. The Slytherin team stood behind their captain who had not moved. “This is an outrage. You have no right to take our wands.”

Danny could see that a couple of his players were uncomfortable with ignoring the command. Madam Almieda stepped closer to him. “If you are going to hinder the investigation, Mr. Straka, then I can just disqualify Slytherin House right now.”

Theo knew they would be implicated as it were, but he would not admit freely that he had done anything to meddle with the match. “Now, Mr. Straka.”

He all but threw his wand at her and stalked away. The rest of the team followed suit though no one else used Madam Almieda for target practice. 

**********

The stone arched high up from the ground, making everything in the space feel small. Beds and curtains lined the walls with no occupants. The sun shone off the white, making it much more bright in the room than necessary. But with that brilliance, there was also silence. It seemed to be a place of limbo. But it wasn’t because Winn knew that Healer Pye was in the office near the entrance and he knew that beyond the closed doors students would be scuffling through the hall. And if it was a place of limbo, James wouldn’t be passed out on a bed, recovering from a Quidditch injury. 

Winn had left the Quidditch pitch at Kara’s urging when James had been taken away. They made him wait outside for a long time. Healer Pye didn’t want distractions. Hearing James screams were the worst but eventually, he passed out from the pain of the Skele-Gro. Pye let Winn in but James had yet to wake up. 

No one else had come yet and when Winn looked out the window; he could see the players still flying around. He didn’t know what to do with himself, alone in the hospital wing, so mostly he just fidgeted with his hands and stared out the window. When it got dark enough that he couldn’t see the pitch anymore, Pye told him that he should go get dinner. He refused. If James woke up and none of his friends were there, what would he think?

James let out a noise and Winn’s head whipped to the bed. His eyes were clenched tightly shut and his head moved slowly, tilting from side to side. His lips parted and closed and parted and closed. “James?”

James’ eyes opened groggily and he tried to smile at Winn. Winn reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a cup. “Do you need some water?”

James nodded. When he tried to sit up a little bit, he groaned loudly and immediately stopped. “Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t move.”

James mouthed at the straw until he could take a sip and let out a sigh of relief when he was done. Winn set the cup back on the table. “I’m gonna go get Pye to check on you.”

Apparently, James would need to stay in the hospital for the next week. He had two broken ribs and a third one had shattered. His first dose of Skele-Gro was not going to be his last. But, Healer Pye said in the end, he would be good as new. 

“Did we win?” James voice was quiet and gravely.

“I don’t know. They were still playing but it got too dark for me to see.” 

James' eyebrows scrunched up with that information. “That’s a long one.”

Winn nodded. “I don’t know if they finished yet or not. I’m sure everyone else will be here when they do.”

“How long have you been here?”

Winn shrugged. “I didn’t want you to wake up and be alone.”

“You should’ve stayed…watched the game.” James' eyes were half-closed.

“It wasn’t important.”

“But if it was Ravenclaw…”

“Sure,” Winn said though he hadn’t meant it. Ravenclaw playing a match wasn’t more important than the well-being of a friend.

The doors of the hospital wing opened and James looked around Winn’s shoulder, a smile coming to his face. Winn turned to look to, thinking it was the Gryffindor team. It wasn’t the team but it was a Gryffindor. 

“Hey, hot stuff, not looking so hot right now.”

James tried to hold back a laugh because it hurt to move. Winn sighed. He should have expected Lucy to show up. He didn’t know why she hadn’t come earlier though. He felt a little smug thinking that maybe he cared more than she did. But he immediately felt bad when she dropped a plate of food from dinner in his lap. “I thought you’d probably be hungry. You missed dinner.”

Lucy had seen Winn rush out of the stands when James got injured. Pye didn’t allow too many visitors at once, especially when he was working on a patient. She thought that maybe she’d leave it to Winn this time around and try not to crowd James. But she had worried and after dinner, she had decided she waited long enough. Aside from looking woozy and tired and despite what she had said, he really didn’t look that bad, all things considered.

“Did we win?” James' voice was even weaker than before.

“We don’t know yet. Madame Almieda stopped the match before anyone caught the snitch. I’m not sure what happened. Of course, there are a lot of rumors but it looked like everyone was in some type of trouble.”

“Where are they?” Winn asked.

“I haven’t seen them. I’m sure they’ll stop by and tell you everything,” Lucy reassured James.

The doors burst open and the group entering was unabashedly loud. Winn saw Healer Pye’s door burst open and he came out, a look of rage on his face. “This boy is trying to recover, do you mind?”

“It’s okay,” James said, but his voice was way too low for anyone but Winn and Lucy to hear. 

Winn turned around and spoke louder. “He wants to see them.”

“Fine,” Pye acquiesced, “but not for long.”

He went back into his office, slamming the door shut. The team, that had hesitated briefly when being yelled at, stormed over, questions flying so fast that Winn couldn’t even figure out what they were saying.

“Glad you’re not dead, Olsen,” Maggie said. 

James smiled. “Can’t get rid of me that easily. What happened after I left?”

There was anger in Danny’s eyes that instilled fear within Winn. Every single muscle in her body was rigid. Kirsch looked at her, realized she was not going to speak and so spoke for her. “They have to do an investigation. Someone messed with the snitch.”

“Not someone. It was Straka,” Danny said. It was barely understandable as her teeth were clenched furiously tight.

“Whichever team wasn’t involved wins the match. The other is disqualified for the rest of the year.”

“What?” James lurched forward in surprised. Having the Slytherins out of the running meant that the Gryffindors would be a shoe-in for winning the cup. He only realized too late the move was going to cause pain and he cried out as it shot through his stomach. 

Kirsch reached over and pushed him gently back. “Take it easy, buddy. We don’t know anything yet.”

“Well, we know we weren’t involved,” Mel piped up from the back, “so we don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Yeah, but we still don’t know what they’ll decide to do. They could change their mind.”

Maggie elbowed Alex. “Great pep talk, Danvers.”

The became very rambunctious, very fast, and Winn found himself being shoved to the back of the group. He wanted to say goodbye to James but they had surrounded his bed, taking all of his attention. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and left the hospital wing with a slight droop to his shoulders. As he was descending the stairs he heard footsteps running after him. “Hey.”

“Why are you always following me?” he questioned, glaring at Lucy.

“I’m not following you. But both Alex and James in the same room?” She shook her head. “It throws me off my game.”

“I wish you wouldn’t talk about him like that. Or Alex for that matter.”

“Like what?” Lucy said, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Like it’s a big joke,” Winn admitted.

“Oh.” She didn’t have a retort for the first time ever since Winn had known her and he looked at her, seeing a befuddled expression on her face.

For some reason, he felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t say anything until they made it to the bottom of the many flights of stairs. “It’s not a joke to me. I get that you don’t get it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a joke.”

Winn didn’t quite know what the “it” was that he was supposedly missing, but she didn’t let him ask and he wasn’t really sure how too. 

“He’ll be fine by the way. Don’t worry.” She put up a hand half-heartedly but didn’t really wave. 

*********

_Yesterday in West Country, a short way outside of Cornwall, Kneazles were stolen from a breeding home. The Hawkworth family woke up to find every last one of their Kneazles gone. “It was a shock,” Gloria Hawkworth told us, “In all the years we’ve been breeding, we’ve never lost one.”_

_Ptolemy Hawkworth was rather vulgar while making his statement to the press, which is understandable given the nature of our questions. But for the sake of our readers, we’ve paraphrased his response. “We’ve lost the whole lot. Our entire stock gone, along with our breeders. My family has been doing this for as long as I can remember and starting from scratch is going to set us behind. Whoever did this is a curse and disgrace to the name of wizards.”_

_This news is not the first of attacks on breeders. What was first thought to have been a random series of thefts throughout England, has now turned into a question of whether all have been done by one large, organized group. There is no evidence yet but the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures are working together to solve this disconcerting string of thefts._

Laura finished reading the article allowed to the table at breakfast. “They’re really doing a disservice to Kent with these pieces.”

“How is that what you’re concerned about?” Lafontaine asked. “I think the thefts are the problem.”

Laura passed the paper to Danny, who had reached out for it. “He’s an incredible writer. This article is so short and his last ones have been the same. Where did the reporter who wrote page-long investigative reports go? They’re misusing him.”

“They’re not misusing him. He chose to do that.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Kara. She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, a bite of sausage sticking off the end. Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I’ve never seen you read the Daily Prophet,” Winn said, his eyes narrowed.

Danny said, “Where did you read that?” at the same time Laura said, “How do you know that?”

Kara shrugged. “Oh, he told me.”

“What does that mean?” Kirsch questioned with his mouth full. Danny shot him a disgusted look that he couldn’t see because SJ was between them.

“He told you?” Laura’s voice was rising. Clark Kent was her favorite reporter. He was the most unbiased and the most thorough. He covered the most exciting stories until lately when it seemed he was only used for filler. It was pretty much her life’s goal to meet him and work with him side by side. 

“How did he tell you? What does that even mean?” Laura gasped. “Have you met him?”

“Well, yeah,” Kara said, finally taking a bite, “He’s my cousin.”

“Oh no,” Kirsh mumbled.

Laura jumped down the bench, grabbing Kara’s robes and bringing their faces very close together. Kara was completely taken off guard, and rather terrified and overwhelmed. Her eyes were wide and she was trying to pull back from Laura. Laura kept a firm grip, her eyes wild with a strange excitement. She shouted, her voice so loud it hurt Kara’s ears from the close distance. “YOU ARE RELATED TO CLARK KENT AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments/questions/or even ideas. The entire 7 years hasn't been planned out yet so if you want to see something, leave a note and maybe I can work it in at some point.
> 
> I'm on tumblr as uselessgayshit so you can send questions or commentaries there as well.


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